The Effect of L2 Onset on L2 and L3 learning: The Case of Native Speakers of Burkinabe languages

摘要

L1 Burkinabe speakers generally become native-level speakers of French by adulthood, as French is the official second language of their country and is used in their daily life, but learn English as a foreign language is later in their lives. However, as their L2 and L3 contain grammatical markings that are sometimes more similar to each other and sometimes more similar to the L1, such as with progressive/perfective constructions, it is unclear how this multi-lingual environment will influence the acquisition of such constructions. In the present paper, we examine a number of factors thought to influence L1 Burkinabe learners' ability to acquire progressive constructions in L2 French and L3 English to see if onset age (as proposed by the critical period hypothesis) or the number of years spent learning (often offered as an alternative explanation) influences acquisition, as well as if the acquisition of L2 French influences that of L3 English (as per L3 acquisition research). Multi-variate regression analyses showed that the number of years studying French was the best predictor of French progressive marking ability, but that onset age of L2 French was the best predictor of L3 English progressive marking ability, having a strong negative effect due to negative transfer from L2 French.