The influence of typology and microvariation in L3: The case of the interplay of Cantonese, Mandarin and English in comparative constructions

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This study examines language combinations that have not been widely studied within L3 literature: Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Specifically, the comparative structures in the three languages will be studied, offering a unique platform to test two underpinning questions on acquisition studies: the directionality of transfer based on typological or linguistic similarities, and the learnability problem by Poverty of Stimulus. With findings based on these, I also look to discuss the implications for two main kinds of L3 hypotheses: The Typological Primacy Model (Rothman, 2011) and The Linguistic Proximity Model (Westergaard et al., 2017).