The Age Factor in L2 Acquisition : An empirical investigation into the choice of +/-- human relative pronouns by Spanish learners of English and the resetting of parameters

摘要

A positive approach to Second Language (L2) acquisition is to follow Chomsky's (1981) Principles and Parameters theory. Following the latest approach of the Minimalist Program (Chomsky 1995), the question of whether language acquisition involves the acquisition of morphological features that define a particular language is discussed. We would also like to examine age-related effects (Birdsong 2000) and L2 development in the acquisition of one particular linguistic phenomenon, relative clauses. We will discuss the results of an experiment based on a multiple-choice-question questionnaire. In order to look for evidence of age factors, we tested two groups of adult learners at different stages of their L2 acquisition. Group A were at the intermediate stage represented by university students learning English as a second language at a Catalan university (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona). Group B were at the advanced level, represented by students enrolled in a private business school in Barcelona (ESERP).