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Does second language grow?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 February 2010

Günther Grewendorf
Affiliation:
Institut für Deutsche Sprache und Literatur II, Universität Frankfurt/Main, D-60054 Frankfurt, Germany. grewendorf@lingua.uni-frankfurt.de

Abstract

The evidence that L2 learners have full access to UG is not convincing. The following will be shown: (1) The argument that L2 learners “expect” L2 to have particular properties rests on the conceptual confusion of having the concept of language (in the sense of knowing the meaning of “language”) with having access to UG. (2) The claim that L2 acquisition takes place under the constraints imposed by universal principles lacks empirical support. (3) The assumption that L2 learners assign new parameter values is based on a problematic example and remains unclear.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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