Crossover Effects in Second Language Acquisition: A View from German-English and Korean-English Interlanguage Grammar

This thesis investigates first languages (L1) influence on second language (L2) acquisition of long-distance wh-movement and related constraints governed by Universal Grammar. It thus seeks to integrate L2 syntactic knowledge into L2 knowledge at the syntax-semantics interface in order to find out more about the nature of L2 acquisition, thesis extends its body of research into L2 processing at the syntax-semantics interface. That being so, it allows us not only to explore an ultimate issue of whether L2 speakers have access to Universal Grammar but also to consider how grammar and meaning interact in real time. To this end, this thesis examines crossover phenomena in L2 English, by speakers of German and Korean. A series of experiments are employed in this research: an acceptability judgement task, a truth-value judgement task, and a self-paced reading task. Experiment 1 investigates whether L2 speakers have acquired syntactic knowledge of long-distance wh-movement in English. This experiment, in particular, examines whether L2 speakers are sensitive to locality conditions on wh-movement. Experiment 2 identifies whether semantic knowledge is facilitated by syntactic knowledge in L2 acquisition. Experiment 3–4 examine whether L2 speakers make use of syntax-semantics interface knowledge during online processing. The findings from Experiment 1–4 suggest that that L1 does not influence acquisition and processing of L2.