Modularity of Grammar and Interface Theory: New Developments in the Study of Foreign Language Acquisition and Their Implications for Learning English and Japanese

本研究从语法模块理论的角度考察了英语和日语的二语习得。以日语为母语的英语学习者和以英语、土耳其语、汉语为母语的日语学习者参与了各种实验，并基于界面假设对实验结果进行分析，旨在为开发创新的外语教学方法提供实用建议。我们的分析表明，由于本地化，语法习得可以促进对目标语言的熟练程度的提高。然而，由于语言在语法-语义和形态-语义界面上的迁移，二语学习者难以习得whi -movement、显性代词和虚代词、时态和方面意义。在此基础上，本文强调了显性教学对目的语长距离运动、代词和现在完成时习得的重要性。

This study investigated L2 acquisition of English and Japanese from the viewpoint of the theory of modularity of Grammar. Japanese-speaking learners of English and English-, Turkish-, and Chinese-speaking learners of Japanese participated in various experiments, and the results were analyzed based on the Interface Hypothesis with the goal of providing practical suggestions for the development of innovative methods for teaching and learning foreign languages.Our analysis showed that syntactic acquisition can be facilitated as proficiency in the target language improves due to locality. However, it was demonstrated that wh-movement, overt and null pronouns, and tense and aspectual meanings were difficult for L2 learners to acquire due to L1 transfer at the syntax-semantics and morphology-semantics interfaces. Based on these findings, the importance of explicit teaching was emphasized for the acquisition of long-distance movement, pronouns, and present perfect in the target languages.