FIRST LANGUAGE/AGE/INTERVENTION 2nd LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

描述(由候选人提供)：这个项目解决了三个基本问题：1)在学习第二语言的过程中，来自母语的语法知识在多大程度上影响英语学习？2)儿童和成人学习语言的方式是否有内在的差异？3)有组织的干预可以在多大程度上提高第二语言学习的表现？亚美尼亚和土耳其的第二语言(L2)英语学习者将接受WH-问题的测试。英语、土耳其语和亚美尼亚语在wh疑问句的形态和句法特征上既有不寻常的共性，也有不同之处。我们将在语法判断任务和引出模仿中探讨WH疑问句的形成。第一语言在第二语言学习中的作用将在习得研究中很少研究的两个语言组中进行研究。此外，许多证据表明，儿童二语学习者比成人二语学习者更成功，这意味着儿童可以很容易地接触到特定领域的概念。比较初级儿童和成人二语学习者的表现将有助于确定他们在习得英语方面是否相似以及如何相似。这个项目的一个新的焦点是使用一种新开发的短期干预方法来试图提高学习者的wh-问题的表现。这项技术对两种语言群体和两个年龄段的人的效果将进行比较。如果有效，该干预措施将成为二语学习者课堂教学中的重要教学工具，并可能对语言迟缓的个人产生好处。

DESCRIPTION (provided by candidate): This project addresses three fundamental questions: 1) in learning a second language, to what extent does grammatical knowledge from the native language influence performance in English? 2) are there inherent differences in the way children and adults learn a language? 3) to what extent can a structured intervention improve performance in second language learning? Armenian and Turkish second language (L2) learners of English will be tested on Wh-questions. English, Turkish and Armenian have unusual commonalities and differences in their morphological and syntactic properties in wh-question formation. Wh-question formation will be approached in grammaticality judgment tasks and elicited imitation. The role of L1 in L2 learning will be studied in two language groups seldom studied in acquisition research. Further, much evidence suggests that child L2 learners are more successful than adult L2 learners, implying that children can easily access domain-specific concepts. Comparing the performance of beginning child and adult L2 learners will help determine whether and how they are similar in acquiring English. A novel focus of this project is the use of a newly developed short-term intervention method to try to improve the performance of learners' wh-questions. The efficacy of the technique for the two language groups and for the two age groups will be compared. If effective, the intervention measure will be an important pedagogical tool in classroom teaching of L2 learners and may also have benefits for language-delayed individuals.