Lardiere (2003), in her reply to Lakshmanan and Selinker (2001), justifies the use of
suppliance in obligatory contexts as a method of analysis in the investigation of
the second language (L2) acquisition of past tense, and claims that such a method is
characteristic of previous studies that have proposed the Aspect Hypothesis. It is
argued here that this is a misrepresentation of research on the Aspect Hypothesis
which, contra Lardiere, takes seriously the problem of the ‘comparative
fallacy’ and the autonomous nature of interlanguage. Lardiere also argues
that the Aspect Hypothesis studies suffer from a different kind of comparative
fallacy, to which I reply by discussing the importance of refining methods of
analysis in verb aspectual classification of learner data.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aksu-Koç, A.1998:
The role of input vs. universal predispositions in the emergence of
tense–aspect morphology: evidence from Turkish
. First Language18,
255–280
.
2.
Andersen, R.W.1991: Developmental sequences: the emergence of aspect marking in
second language acquisition. In
Huebner, T.
and
Ferguson, C.A.
editors, Crosscurrents in second language acquisition and linguistic
theories.
John Benjamins
, 305–324.
3.
Andersen, R.W.
and
Shirai, Y.1994:
Discourse motivations for some cognitive acquisition principles
. Studies in Second Language Acquisition16,
133–156
.
4.
Andersen, R.W.
and
Shirai, Y.1996: Primacy of aspect in first and second language acquisition:
the pidgin/creole connection. In
Ritchie, W.C.
and
Bhatia, T.K.
, editors, Handbook of second language acquisition.
Academic Press
, 527–570.
5.
Bardovi-Harlig, K.1995:
A narrative perspective on the development of the tense/aspect system in
second language acquisition
. Studies in Second Language Acquisition17,
263–291
.
6.
Bardovi-Harlig, K.1998:
Narrative structure and lexical aspect: conspiring factors in second
language acquisition of tense–aspect morphology
. Studies in Second Language Acquisition20,
471–508
.
7.
Bardovi-Harlig, K.1999:
From morpheme studies to temporal semantics: tense–aspect
research in SLA
. Studies in Second Language Acquisition21,
341–382
.
8.
Bardovi-Harlig, K.2000: Tense and aspect in second language acquisition: form,
meaning, and use.
Blackwell
.
9.
Bardovi-Harlig, K.
and
Bergström, A.1996:
The acquisition of tense and aspect in SLA and FLL: a study of learner
narratives in English (SL) and French (FL)
. Canadian Modern Language Review52,
308–330
.
10.
Bardovi-Harlig, K.
and
Reynolds, D.W.1995:
The role of lexical aspect in the acquisition of tense and aspect
. TESOL Quarterly29,
107–131
.
11.
Bayley, R.1999:
The primacy of aspect hypothesis revisited: evidence from Language Shift
. Southwest Journal of Linguistics18,
1–22
.
12.
Bickerton, D.1981: The roots of language.
Karoma
.
13.
Bley-Vroman, R.1983:
The comparative fallacy in interlanguage studies: the case of systematicity
. Language Learning33,
1–17
.
14.
Brown, R.1973: A first language: the early stages.
Harvard University Press
.
15.
Collins, L.2002:
The roles of L1 influence and lexical aspect in the acquisition of temporal morphology
. Language Learning52,
43–94
.
16.
Collins, L.2004:
The particulars on universals: a comparison of the acquisition of
tense–aspect morphology among Japanese and French-speaking
learners of English
. The Canadian Modern Language Review61,
251–274
.
17.
Dulay, H.C.
and
Burt, M.1974:
Natural sequences in child second language acquisition
. Language Learning24,
37–53
.
18.
Ellis, R.1994: The study of second language acquisition.
Oxford University Press
.
19.
Gabriele, A.
,
Martohardjono, G.
and
McClure, W.2003: Why swimming is just as difficult as dying for Japanese
learners of English. In
Bittner, D.
and
Gagarina, N.
, editors, ZAS Papers in Linguistics 29: Acquisition of Aspect,
ZAS, 85–103.
20.
Gavruseva, E.2002:
Is there primacy of aspect in child L2 English?Bilingualism: Language and Cognition5,
109–130
.
21.
Gavruseva, E.2003:
Aktionsart, aspect, and the acquisition of finiteness in early child grammar
. Linguistics41,
723–755
.
22.
Gavruseva, E.2004:
Root infinitives in child second language English: an aspectual features account
. Second Language Research20,
335–371
.
23.
Hakuta, K.1976:
A case study of a Japanese child learning English as a second language
. Language Learning26,
321–351
.
24.
Hawkins, R.2001: Second language syntax: a generative introduction.
Blackwell
.
25.
Housen, A.1993: L2 acquisition of verb morphology: a case study.
In
Kettermann, B.
and
Wieden, W.
, editors, Current issues in European second language acquisition
research.
Gunter Narr
, 195–212.
26.
Housen, A.1994: Tense and aspect in second language acquisition: the Dutch
interlanguage of a native speaker of English. In
Vet, C.
and
Vetters, V.
, editors, Tense and aspect in discourse.
Mouton de Gruyter
, 257–291.
27.
Housen, A.2000:
Verb semantics and the acquisition of tense–aspect in L2 English
. Studia Linguistica54,
249–259
.
28.
Housen, A.2002: The development of tense–aspect in English as a
second language and the variable influence of inherent aspect. In
Salaberry, R.
and
Shirai,Y.
, editors, The L2 acquisition of tense–aspect morphology.
John Benjamins
, 155–197.
29.
Huebner, T.1979:
Order-of-acquisition vs. dynamic paradigm: a comparison of method in
interlanguage research
. TESOL Quarterly13,
21–28
.
30.
Huebner, T.1983: A longitudinal analysis of the acquisition of English.
Karoma
.
31.
Ionin, T.
and
Wexler, K.2002:
Why is ‘is’ easier than ‘-s’?
Acquisition of tense/agreement morphology by child second language learners
of English
. Second Language Research18,
95–136
.
32.
Lakshmanan, U.
and
Selinker, L.2001:
Analyzing interlanguage: how do we know what learners know?Second Language Research17,
393–420
.
33.
Lardiere, D.1998:
Case and tense in the ‘fossilized’ steady state
. Second Language Research14,
1–26
.
34.
Lardiere, D.2003:
Revisiting the comparative fallacy: a reply to Lakshmanan and Selinker, 2001
. Second Language Research19,
129–143
.
35.
Larsen-Freeman, D.
and
Long, M.H.1990: An introduction to second language acquisition research.
Longman
.
36.
Lee, E.J.2001:
Interlanguage development by two Korean speakers of English with a focus on temporality
. Language Learning51,
591–633
.
37.
López-Ortega, N.2000:
Tense, aspect, and narrative structure in Spanish as a second language
. Hispania83,
488–502
.
38.
Nishi, Y.
and
Shirai, Y.
2004:
Where L1 semantic transfer occurs: the significance of cross-linguistic
variation in lexical aspect in the universal phenomena of L2 aspect acquisition
. Paper presented at the Conference on diversity and universals in
language: the consequences of variation, Stanford
University, May 21–23. To appear in
Matsumoto,Y., Oshima, D.Y., Robinson, O. and Sells, P., editors, Diversity in
language: perspectives and implications. CSLI Publications.
39.
Pica, T.1983:
Adult acquisition of English as a 2nd language under different conditions
of exposure
. Language Learning33,
465–497
.
40.
Robison, R.E.1990:
The primacy of aspect: aspectual marking in English interlanguage
. Studies in Second Language Acquisition12,
315–330
.
41.
Robison, R.E.1995:
The aspect hypothesis revisited: a cross-sectional study of tense and
aspect marking in interlanguage
. Applied Linguistics16,
344–370
.
42.
Rocca, S.2002: Lexical aspect in child second language acquisition of
temporal morphology: a bidirectional study. In
Salaberry, R.
and
Shirai, Y.
, editors, The L2 acquisition of tense–aspect morphology.
John Benjamins
, 245–280.
43.
Rohde, A.1996:
The aspect hypothesis and the emergence of tense distinctions in
naturalistic L2 acquisition
. Linguistics34,
1115–1137
.
44.
Rohde, A.2002: The aspect hypothesis in naturalistic acquisition: what
uninflected and non-target-like verb forms in early interlanguage tell
us. In
Salaberry, R.
and
Shirai, Y.
, editors, The L2 acquisition of tense–aspect morphology,
199–220.
John Benjamins
.
45.
Salaberry, R.1999:
The development of past tense verbal morphology in classroom L2 Spanish
. Applied Linguistics20,
151–178
.
46.
Shirai, Y. 1991: Primacy of aspect in language acquisition: simplified input
and prototype. Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.
47.
Shirai, Y.1993: Inherent aspect and the acquisition of tense/aspect
morphology in Japanese. In
Nakajima, H.
and
Otsu, Y.
, editors, Argument structure: its syntax and acquisition.
Kaitakusha
, 185–211.
48.
Shirai, Y.1994:
On the overgeneralization of progressive marking on stative verbs:
bioprogram or input?First Language14,
67–82
.
49.
Shirai, Y.1998:
The emergence of tense–aspect morphology in Japanese: universal predisposition?First Language18,
281–309
.
50.
Shirai, Y.
and
Andersen, R.W.1995:
The acquisition of tense/aspect morphology: a prototype account
. Language71,
743–762
.
51.
Shirai, Y.
and
Kurono, A.1998:
The acquisition of tense/aspect marking in Japanese as a second language
. Language Learning48,
245–279
.
52.
Shirai, Y.
and
Nishi, Y.2002: Lexicalization of aspectual structures in English and
Japanese. In
Giacalone Ramat, A.
, editor, Typology and second language acquisition.
Mouton de Gruyter
, 267–290.
53.
Slabakova, R.
and
Montrul, S.2002: On viewpoint aspect interpretation and its L2
acquisition. In
Salaberry, R.
and
Shirai, Y.
, editors, The L2 acquisition of tense–aspect morphology,
John Benjamins
, 323–395.
54.
Stauble, A.M.
1981:
A comparison of a Spanish–English and Japanese–English
second language continuum: verb phrase morphology
. Paper presented at the first Europe–North American
workshop on cross-linguistic second language acquisition research.
Cited in Pica, 1983.
55.
Stauble, A.M.1984: A comparison of the Spanish–English and
Japanese–English inter-language continuum. In
Andersen, R.W.
, editor, Second language: a crosslinguistic perspective.
Newbury House
, 323–353.
56.
Wagner-Gough, J.1978: Comparative studies in second language learning.
In
Hatch, E.M.
, editor, Second language acquisition: a book of readings.
Newbury House
, 155–171.
57.
Weist, R.M.1989:
Aspects of the roots of language: commentary on Cziko
. First Language9,
45–49
.
58.
Weist, R.M.
,
Pawlak, A.
and
Carapella, J.2004:
Syntactic–semantic interface in the acquisition of verb morphology
. Journal of Child Language31,
31–60
.
59.
White, L.2003Second language acquisition and universal grammar.
Cambridge University Press
.
