The acquisition of wh-questions by Korean-English bilingual children: The role of crosslinguistic influence
Abstract
The purpose of the present study is to examine the role of crosslinguistic influence in the acquisition of wh-questions by Korean-English bilingual children. Specifically, the goal is to test Hulk and Müller's (2000) syntax-pragmatics interface hypothesis, which advocates the existence of crosslinguistic influence and suggests that the syntax-pragmatics interface, or the C(omplementizer)-domain, is an area that is most vulnerable to influence. They predict that crosslinguistic influence is likely to occur if (a) the construction in question is relevant to the syntax-pragmatics interface, and (b) if there is surface overlap between the two features. The present study looks at the production of wh -questions by Korean-English bilingual children to test Hulk and Müller's hypothesis. Since wh-questions in these languages involve the C-domain and show a surface overlap, the hypothesis predicts that Korean will influence English. In the bilinguals' English, we should expect to see more wh-in-situ constructions than for monolingual English speakers. Seven Korean-English bilingual children who reside in the U.S. Midwest were observed for the present study. Their ages ranged from 3;4 to 5;5 at the onset of the study, and the children were recorded every 2-4 weeks for approximately 11 months in spontaneous play interactions. Contrary to what Hulk and Müller's hypothesis predicts, the results show no wh-in-situ constructions from the bilingual children. All utterances containing wh-words, both in the main clause and in embedded clauses, have undergone movement. Hulk and Müller's hypothesis fails to explain the data that we observe for these Korean-English bilingual children. Rather than applying wh-in-situ to English question formation, these children all satisfy the movement required in English. Possible explanations of results, as well as additional findings, will be discussed.
Degree
M.A.
Advisors
Benedicto, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Linguistics
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