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'Is Raining Very Hard in Puerto Rico': If Communication Transpires with the Syntactic Parameter, Why Change It to Another?

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Bibliographic Details
Title: 'Is Raining Very Hard in Puerto Rico': If Communication Transpires with the Syntactic Parameter, Why Change It to Another?
Language: English
Authors: Lori Le Duc Slaybaugh
Source: ProQuest LLC. 2023Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras (Puerto Rico).
Availability: ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 251
Publication Date: 2023
Document Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Descriptors: Native Language, English (Second Language), English Language Learners, Second Language Learning, Spanish, Syntax, Language Skills, Language Dominance, Form Classes (Languages), Structural Grammar
Geographic Terms: Puerto Rico
ISBN: 979-83-8115-535-8
Abstract: The Null Subject Parameter (NSP) has long been considered pertinent to Second Language Acquisition (SLA) studies, especially when the native language (NL) and target language (TL) have different NSP settings. The study aimed to investigate whether seventy English L2 learners in Puerto Rico who were native Spanish speakers transferred their L1 syntax related to NSP to their English production. It explored the patterns and frequency of subject pronoun omission of these learners and examined the potential influence of their L1 on their L2 syntax. The study used questionnaires to assess the participants educational background, NSP awareness, grammaticality judgments of English sentences, and translation skills from Spanish to English. It was found that the majority of English L2 learners in the sample, who had received education in the K-12 public-school system in western Puerto Rico, did not reset the Spanish null subject parameter to the English non-null subject parameter. Many of the proficient-level participants continued to use their Spanish L1 when judging sentences missing overt-subject pronouns and that-trace violations. They also had difficulty translating a sentence missing and overt-subject pronoun related to the weather. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Access URL: https://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqm&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:30818092
Accession Number: ED641274
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:The Null Subject Parameter (NSP) has long been considered pertinent to Second Language Acquisition (SLA) studies, especially when the native language (NL) and target language (TL) have different NSP settings. The study aimed to investigate whether seventy English L2 learners in Puerto Rico who were native Spanish speakers transferred their L1 syntax related to NSP to their English production. It explored the patterns and frequency of subject pronoun omission of these learners and examined the potential influence of their L1 on their L2 syntax. The study used questionnaires to assess the participants educational background, NSP awareness, grammaticality judgments of English sentences, and translation skills from Spanish to English. It was found that the majority of English L2 learners in the sample, who had received education in the K-12 public-school system in western Puerto Rico, did not reset the Spanish null subject parameter to the English non-null subject parameter. Many of the proficient-level participants continued to use their Spanish L1 when judging sentences missing overt-subject pronouns and that-trace violations. They also had difficulty translating a sentence missing and overt-subject pronoun related to the weather. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ISBN:979-83-8115-535-8