The Acquisition of Unaccusativity: the Effect of Dialect Exposure on Early and Late English-Italian Bilinguals

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This project sets out to contribute to the current understanding of the acquisition of unaccusativity - also referred to as split intransitivity - by investigating the linguistic production of simultaneous early and consecutive late dialect-Italian bilinguals. By exploring the role played by the input of different and in part conflicting grammars, I aim to ascertain the level of linguistic competence required to master unaccusativity and, ultimately, determine whether and how this is acquired. The novel approach of my study may well offer valuable insights into the intransitivity split itself.Research Questions Against this theoretical backdrop, my PhD project addresses the following questions:1. Does the simultaneous/consecutive attainment of divergent grammars affect the process of acquisition of unaccusative syntax? 2. To what degree does syntactico-semantic competence differ between early and late bilinguals? 3. Are there any classes of verbs whose syntax is mastered sooner than that of others in nonstandard bilingual acquisition?4. What insights does the study of the acquisition of split intransitivity offer with respect to the ASH?