Introduction

In the previous chapter, a variety of hypotheses were considered as to the nature of the grammatical representations adopted by learners in the earliest stages of L2 acquisition. In this chapter, we examine developing interlanguage grammars, exploring the issue of whether grammars change over time and, if so, in what respects. We will consider whether interlanguage grammars can be characterized in terms of parameters of UG, concentrating particularly on the situation that obtains when the L1 and L2 differ in parameter values.

As discussed in chapter 2, there is considerable evidence to suggest that interlanguage grammars are constrained by invariant principles of UG, since learners are sensitive to subtle properties of the L2 that are underdetermined by the input. L2 learners successfully acquire highly abstract unconscious knowledge, despite a poverty of the L2 stimulus, suggesting that this knowledge must originate from UG. Nevertheless, in some cases one cannot totally eliminate the L1 as the source of such abstract knowledge: even where languages differ considerably at the surface level, the same universal principles may apply at a more abstract level. For this reason, the issue of parameters and parameter resetting is of crucial importance in assessing the role of UG in L2 acquisition. If the L1 and L2 differ in their parameter settings and if the learner's linguistic behaviour is consistent with parameter values appropriate for the L2, this strongly supports the position that UG constrains interlanguage grammars.