Edited by Kristof Baten, Aafke Buyl, Katja Lochtman and Mieke Van Herreweghe
This edited volume is devoted to expanding the theoretical basis of Processability Theory, a theory of second language development that combines insights in the way speakers generate language and store their language knowledge to predict, describe and explain developmental sequences (Pienemann… read more
This is the first book on the acquisition of the German case system by foreign language learners. It explores how learners in their interlanguage progress from the total absence to the presence of a case system. This development is characterized by an evolvement from marking the argument’s position… read more
This chapter proposes a developmental sequence for the L2 acquisition of two linguistic phenomena in Hindi, namely split ergativity and differential object marking. The proposal builds on the universal key mechanisms of Processability Theory, i.e., the transfer of grammatical information between… read more
In research about second language (L2) development during study abroad (SA), writing is underrepresented. This is partly due to the difficulty of designing adequate tasks and measures to gauge writing development during a short immersion period. Our study explores the applicability of a… read more
Previous research on the benefits of study abroad (SA) has mainly focused on oral communication skills and L2 English, while written communication and other foreign languages have received far less attention. This study addresses this gap by investigating writing development in L2 German. It… read more
This article examines the connections among self-reported social network development, L2 use, and self-perceived speaking proficiency development in a group of Belgian ERASMUS students (n = 59) who studied abroad in different European countries (Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain,… read more
To determine developmental stages, research based on the framework of Processability Theory (PT) commonly examines data from naturally occurring speech. This chapter will investigate whether experimentally elicited data can also be used as a valid basis for determining developmental stages. It… read more
This chapter compares two different approaches to the construct ‘readiness’: namely, processing constraints as defined by Processability Theory and the Teachability Hypothesis (Pienemann, 1998) and partial mastery as defined in the research on Focus on Form (Williams & Evans, 1998). The former… read more
This chapter presents an overview of studies that have dealt with the role of instruction, and more particularly, its possible effect on altering the route of second language acquisition (SLA). In SLA, some have argued that the effects of instruction are limited, in that instruction will promote… read more
This paper reports the results of a study on the effects of explicit instruction, which examined the L2 development of the German case system. The study investigated to what extent the effects of instruction, if any, depend on (i) the type of linguistic performance (knowledge vs. use) and (ii)… read more
This article explores a grammatical structure — differential object marking (DOM) — that is particularly difficult for L2 learners to acquire. DOM is a phenomenon in which some direct objects are morphologically marked and others are not. In Hindi, animate direct objects are always marked with… read more
Using the framework of Processability Theory (PT), this chapter examines the development of the Hindi case system in the interlanguage of Dutch-speaking foreign language learners. A number of studies have already adopted the PT framework to describe, predict and explain the development of case… read more
