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Child Second Language Acquisition
A bi-directional study of English and Italian tense-aspect morphology
Author
As one of the first books in child second language acquisition (SLA), this book focuses on the core area of tense-aspect morphology, reporting on three L1-Italian children learning L2 English vs. three L1-English children learning L2 Italian. An innovative longitudinal/bidirectional research design, where two languages represent both source and target, show effects of language transfer in learners that, because of their age, still have potential to become native-speakers of the target. An unusual feature of this book is that relevant studies of acquisition of L2 Italian, some heretofore only in Italian, are reviewed, incorporated into the study and made available to a more general audience. Though the main focus is on child SLA, crucial comparisons to both first language acquisition vs. adult SLA are presented. This approach will thus be of interest more generally to readers in first and second language acquisition and child development.
[Studies in Bilingualism, 35] 2007. xvi, 240 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 1 July 2008
Published online on 1 July 2008
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
- Prelim pages | pp. i–iv
- Table of contents | pp. v–viii
- Acknowledgements | pp. ix–9
- List of tables | pp. xi–xii
- List of figures | pp. xiii–13
- Abbreviations | pp. xv–xvi
- Introduction | pp. 1–3
- Chapter 1. Theoretical approaches to tense-aspect | pp. 5–53
- 1.1 Grammatical aspect
- 1.2 Lexical aspect
- 1.3 Grammatical and lexical aspect: The interaction
- Chapter 2. The acquisition of tense-aspect | pp. 55–99
- 2.1 First language acquisition
- 2.2 Second language acquisition
- Chapter 3. Methodological procedures | pp. 101–118
- 3.1 Research questions and hypotheses
- 3.2 Participants
- 3.3 Data collection procedure
- 3.4 Data analysis
- Chapter 4. Analyses and results | pp. 119–210
- 4.1 L2 English data
- 4.2 L2 Italian data
- 4.3 L2 English and L2 Italian data: A comparison
- Chapter 5. General discussion | pp. 211–220
- 5.1 Child L2 acquisition of tense-aspect morphology
- 5.2 Child L2 acquisition and L1 acquisition
- 5.3 Child L2 acquisition and adult L2 acquisition
- Conclusion | pp. 221–223
- | pp. 225–235
- Subject index | pp. 236–240
“Sonia Rocca's study offers a fascinating account of how child bilinguals employ forms in the service of meaning. It will impress many people interested in first and second language acquisition, especially since her research shows the mutual relevance of these two fields.”
Terence Odlin, Ohio State University
“This book reflects a deep and unusual understanding of the theory of children learning a second language perfectly aligned with solid and innovative empirical work. The conclusions presented here on tense-aspect development and on language transfer are innovative and central to child cognition and development.”
Larry Selinker, New York University
“Sonia Rocca is to be applauded for the logical and skilful argumentation that she brings to bear on issues central to how second languages develop during the childhood years. The book's bidirectional and crosslinguistic perspective, coupled with its grammatical focus at the crossroads between morphosyntax and semantics, makes it a unique contribution to the field of child second language acquisition in particular and language acquisition in general.”
Usha Lakshmanan, Southern Illinois University
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