The role of inter- and intralingual factors and compendiums in acquisition of Swedish as a foreign language: the case of Finns learning definiteness and the use of articles

• Authors: Eeva-Lisa Nyqvist
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This study explores the acquisition of definiteness and article use in written Swedish by Finnish-speaking teenagers (n=67) during the three years in secondary school. The studied grammatical phenomena are problematic for all L2 learners of Swedish and are especially difficult for learners, such as Finns, whose L1 lacks expressive definiteness morphologically. The informants produce complex NPs already in their first narratives. The form of NPs poses significantly more problems than the choice of a correct form of definiteness. Hence, it is possible that previous knowledge in English helps informants in the choice of definiteness. The common nominator for problematic expressions is simplification, in both formal aspects and in the relation between form and meaning. Previous research in Sweden has made similar findings. The most central types of NPs build an acquisition explainable by a complexity hierarchy between the different types of NPs. The informants master best NPs without definiteness markers. Definite singulars containing an ending are significantly easier than indefinite singulars, the indefinite article of which is notoriously difficult for Finns learning Swedish as an L2. This acquisition order, however, profoundly differs from the traditional order of instruction of their compendiums.

Keywords

EN

Swedish; definiteness; use of articles; third language acquisition; Finnish

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Łódzki. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
• Journal: Research in Language
• Year: 2016
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 297-327

Dates

published

2016-09-30

Contributors

author

Eeva-Lisa Nyqvist

• University of Helsinki

References

• Axelsson, M. 1994. NP development in Swedish as a second language. A study of adult learners acquiring definiteness and the semantics and morphology of adjectives. Stockholm: Stockholm University Centre for Research and Bilingualism.
• Basic Education Act 628/1998.
• Bohnacker, U. 1997. Determiner Phrases and the Debate on Functional Categories in Early Child Language. Language Acquisition 6(1). 49–90.
• Bohnacker, U. 2003. Nominal Phrases. In G. Hakansson, G. Josefsson and C. Platzack (eds), Acquisition of Swedish grammar, 195–259. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Cop.
• Brown, R. 1973. A First Language: The Early Stages. Cambridge: MA: Harvard University Press.
• Cenoz, J. 2001. The Effect of Linguistic Distance, L2 Status and Age on Cross-linguistic Influence in Third Language Acquisition. In J. Cenoz (ed.), Cross-linguistic influence in third language acquisition, 8–20. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
• Chrabaszcz, A. and N. Jiang. 2014. The role of the native language in the use of the English nongeneric definite article by L2 learners: A cross-linguistic comparison. Second language Research 30. 351–379.
• De Angelis, G. 2005. Interlanguage Transfer of Function Words. Language Learning 55. 379–414.
• DeKeyser, R. 2005. What Makes Learning Second Language Grammar Difficult? A Review of Issues. Language Learning 55. 1–25.
• Dulay, H. and M. Burt. 1973. Should we teach children syntax? Language Learning 23. 245–258.
• Dulay, H. and M. Burt. 1974. Natural sequences in child second language acquisition. Language Learning 24. 37–53.
• Ellis, NC. 2002. Frequency effects in language processing: A Review with implications for theories of implicit and explicit language acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 24. 143–188.
• Ellis, NC. 2003. Constructions, Chunking, and Connectionism: The Emergence of Second Language Structure. In C. J. Doughty and M. H. Long (eds.), The Handbook of Second Language Acquisition, 63–103. Blackwell Publishing.
• Ellis, NC. 2005. At the interface: Dynamic interactions of explicit and implicit language knowledge. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 27. 305–352.
• Ellis, R. 2008. The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Second edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Ellis, R. 2009: Investigating Learning Difficulty in Terms of Implicit and Explicit Knowledge. In R. Ellis, S. Loewen, C. Elder, J. Philp, H. Reinder and R. Erlam (eds.), Implicit and Explicit Knowledge in Second Language Learning, Testing and Teaching, 143–166. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
• Ellis, R. and G. Barkhuizen. 2005. Analysing Learner Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Eriksson, A. and E. Wijk-Andersson. 1988. Swedish Nouns and Articles in German and Polish Students’ Swedish Writing. FUMS Rapport 141: Uppsala universitet.
• FNBE 2004. = Finnish National Board of Education: Perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteet 2004. Available from: http://www.oph.fi/svenska/ops/grundskola/LPgrundl.pdf [Accessed:] 19th August 2015.
• FNBE 2014. = Finnish National Board of Education: Koulutuksen tilastollinen vuosikirja 2014. Helsinki: Finnish National Board of Education.
• Fraurud, K. 1988. Hierarchical Relations between Discourse Referents and the Interpretation of Antedecentless Definite Noun Phrases. In V. Rosen (ed.), Papers from the Tenth Scandinavian Conference of Linguistics, 196–210. Bergen: University of Bergen.
• General Upper Secondary Schools Act 629/1998.
• Glahn E., G. Hakansson, B. Hammarberg, A. Holmen, K. Lund and A. Hvenekilde. 2001. Processability in Scandinavian Second Language Acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 23. 389–416.
• Goldschneider J. and R. DeKeyser. 2005. Explaining the “natural” order of L2 morpheme acquisition in English: A meta-analysis of multiple determinants. Language Learning 51. 1–50.
• Government Decree on University Degrees 794/2004.
• Hammarberg, B. 2007. Nyare utvecklingar inom forskningen om svenska som andrasprak.
• Nordand. Nordisk tidsskrift for andrespraksforskning 1/2007. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget. 43–61.
• Haspelmath, M. 1998. How young is Standard Average European? Language Sciences 20. 271–287.
• Heikkila, T-L. 2007. Engelskans inflytande i nominalfrasen i finsksprakiga kadetters svenska. An unpublished licentiate’s thesis. Helsinki: University of Helsinki.
• Hellberg, S. 1987. Bestamd form: du vet vilken jag menar. In U. Teleman (ed.), Grammatik pĺ villovägar. Skrifter utgivna av Svenska sprĺknämnden 73, 33–38. Stockholm: Almqvist and Wicksell.
• Hyltenstam. K. 1988. Att tala svenska som en infodd – eller nastan. In K. Hyltenstam and I. Lindberg (eds.), Första symposiet om svenska som andrasprĺk. Volym 1: Föredrag om sprĺk, sprĺkinlärning och interaction, 138–156. Stockholm: Stockholm University.
• ISK = Hakulinen A, M. Vilkuna, R. Korhonen, V. Koivisto, TR. Heinonen and and I. Alho. 2004: Iso suomen kielioppi. Helsinki: Society of the Finnish Literature.
• Jarvis, S. and T. Odlin. 2000. Morphological type, spatial reference and language transfer. Studies in second Language Acquisition 22. 535–556.
• Juurakko, T. 1996. Prepositioner i finsksprakiga gymnasisters inlararsvenska. Jyvaskyla: University of Jyvaskyla.
• Juvonen, P. 2000. Om bestamdhetsmarkering i ett tvarsprakligt perspektiv – har finskan en bestamd artikel? In K. Fraurud, P. Juvonen and M. Sundman (eds.), Denna – den här – den där. Om demonstrativer i tvärsprĺklig belysning. En minnesskrift till Elsie Wijk-Andersson. ASLA Information 26(2). 57–92.
• Jarvinen, E-L. 2010: Val av species och bestamdhetsform i ett test for finska grundskoleelever. In C. Falk, A. Nord, A. and R. Palm (eds.), Svenskans beskrivning 30. Förhandlingar vid Trettionde sammankomsten för svenskans beskrivning, Stockholm den 10 och 11 oktober 2008, 154–163. Stockholm: Institutionen for nordiska sprak, Stockholm University.
• Karlsson, F. 2008. Finnish: An Essential Grammar. London: Routledge. 2nd edition.
• Karppinen, M. and R. Sarkkinen. 1995. Ruotsin kielen oppimistuloksia peruskoulun 9. luokan valtakunnallisessa kokeessa. Helsinki: Finnish National Board of Education: 23/1995.
• Kellerman, E 1977. Towards a characterization of the strategy of transfer in second language learning. Interlanguage studies Bulletin, Utrecht 2. 58–145.
• Lahtinen, S. 1993a. Om nominalfrasens struktur i finska gymnasisters inlararsvenska och deras beharskning av typerna” den gula bilen” och ”en gul bil”. In A. Golden and A. Hvenekilde (eds.), Rapport fra det andre forskersymposiet om Nordens sprĺk som andrasprĺk, 181–190. Oslo: Oslo universitet, avdelning for norsk som andresprak. Institutt for lingvistiske fag.
• Lahtinen. S. 1993b. Om nominalfrasens struktur och feltyperna en (gul) bilen och det gula bilen i finska gymnasisters inlararsvenska. In V. Muittari and M. Rahkonen (eds.), Svenskan i Finland 2, 85–98. Jyvaskyla: University of Jyvaskyla.
• Lahtinen, S. 1998. Genuskongruens och genus i finska gymnasisters inlärarsvenska. Jyvaskyla: Jyvaskyla universitet.
• Laury, R. 1996. Sen kategoriasta – onko suomessa jo artikkeli? Virittaja 2. 162–180.
• Levelt, WJM. 1989. Speaking. From Intention to Articulation. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
• Lyons, C. 1999. Definiteness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Nordanger, M. 2009. Keiserens nye klar? Lingvistisk og konseptuell transfer i markeringen av grammatikalisert definitt referanse i russiskspraklige og engelsksprakliges norske mellomsprak – en studie basert pa ASK. Bergen: University of Bergen.
• Nyqvist, E-L. 2013. Species och artikelbruk i finsksprĺkiga grundskoleelevers inlärarsvenska. En longitudinell undersökning i ĺrskurserna 7–9. University of Turku.
• Nyqvist, E-L. 2014. Hurdana species- och artikelfel bor motarbetas? In J. Lindstrom, S. Henricson, A. Huhtala, P. Kukkonen, H. Lehti-Eklund and C. Lindholm, C (eds.), Svenskans Beskrivning 33. Nordica Helsingiensia 37. 353–362.
• Nyqvist, E-L. 2015. Species och artikelbruk hos vuxna svenskinlarare. NordAnd 2/2015. 75–101.
• Odlin, T. 2003. Transfer. In C. J. Doughty and M. H. Long (eds.), The Handbook of Second Language Acquisition, 436–486. Blackwell Publishing.
• Pettersson, T. 1976. Bestamda och obestamda former. In E. Garding (ed.), Kontrastiv fonetik och syntax med svenska i centrum, 119–142. Lund: Liber Laromedel.
• Philipsson, A. 2004. Svenskans morfologi och syntax i ett andraspraksperspektiv. In K. Hyltenstam and I. Lindberg (eds.), Svenska som andrasprĺk – i forskning, undervisning och samhälle, 117–151. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
• Pienemann, M. 1998. Language Processing and Second Language Development: Processability theory. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
• Pienemann, M. and G. Hakansson. 1999. A unified approach towards the development of Swedish as L2: a processability account. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 21. 383–420.
• Ringbom, H. 1992. On L1 Transfer in L2 Comprehension and L2 Production. Language Learning 42. 85–112.
• Ringbom, H. 2007a. Cross-linguistic similarity in Foreign Language Learning. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
• Ringbom, H. 2007b. Actual, perceived and assumed cross-linguistic similarities in foreign language learning. In O-P. Salo, T. Nikula and P. Kalaja (eds.), Kieli oppimisessa – Language in Learning. AFinLa’s Yearbook 2007, 183–196. Jyvaskyla: Jyvaskyla University Press.
• SAG 2 = Telemann, U., S. Hellberg and E. Andersson. 1999. Svenska Akademis Grammatik. Del 2: Ord. Stockholm: Nordstedts Ordbok.
• SAG 3 = Telemann, U., S. Hellberg and E. Andersson. 1999. Svenska Akademis Grammatik. Del 3: Fraser. Stockholm: Nordstedts Ordbok.
• Sundman, M. 1995. Species och artikelbruk hos avancerade inlarare av svenska. In M. Kalin and S. Latomaa (eds.), Nordens sprĺk som andrasprĺk 3, 220–229. Jyvaskyla: Language Centre for Finnish Universities.
• Statistics Finland 2014. Available from: http://www.stat.fi/til/vaerak/2013/vaerak_2013_2014-03-21_tau_001_en.html [Accessed:] 31st of August 2015.
• Tuokko, E. 2002. Perusopetuksen paattovaiheen ruotsin kielen oppimistulosten kansallinen arviointi 2001. Oppimistulosten arviointi 3/2002. Helsinki: Finnish National Board of Education.
• Tuokko, E. 2009. Miten ruotsia osataan peruskoulussa? Perusopetuksen paattovaiheen ruotsin kielen B-oppimaaran oppimistulosten kansallinen arviointi 2008. Helsinki: Finnish National Board of Education.
• Wijk-Andersson, E. 1994. Bestamdhetsmarkering och bestamdhetsgivning. In A. Holmberg and K. Larsson (eds.), Svenskans beskrivning 20, 380–387. Lund: Lund University Press.
• Vilkuna, M. 1992. Referenssi ja määräisyys suomenkielisten tekstien tulkinnassa. Helsinki: Society of the Finnish Literature.

Identifiers

DOI

10.1515/rela-2016-0016