SYNTACTIC OVERLAPPING IN L2 ENGLISH PASSIVE ACQUISITION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66104/xz1g5e49Keywords:
syntactic overlapping, second language acquisition, intermediate stage, bilingualismAbstract
This study investigates the process of syntactic overlapping in the acquisition of passive structures in English as a second language (L2) by Brazilian university learners. The syntactic overlapping hypothesis proposed in this study postulates that learners at the intermediate stage of language development produce forms that cannot be explained either as direct transfer from the first language (L1) or as the target form of the L2, reflecting a systematic parametric adjustment of L1 argument structures onto emerging L2 knowledge. To test this hypothesis, 56 undergraduate students and recent graduates in English performed a Portuguese-to-English translation task involving sentences in the synthetic passive voice featuring the passive marker 'se', distributed across two experimental conditions (two argument-structures and resultative). Participants were divided into two proficiency groups (intermediate, n=17; advanced, n=38) and three age of acquisition (AoA) groups (AoA1: 1–11 years; AoA2: 12–16 years; AoA3: after 16 years). Chi-square test results revealed a statistically significant association between age of acquisition and the choice of argument structure in both groups. Intermediate learners demonstrated a preference for the VP-DP structure, whereas advanced learners exhibited a higher frequency of the DP+POSSESSIVE-DP-VP structure and the EXPLETIVE-VP-DP structure—particularly those in the AoA3 group. The results suggest that syntactic overlapping is an asymmetric and non-linear process, modulated by both proficiency level and age of acquisition, and that functional structures lacking a direct equivalent in the L1—such as the expletive pronoun 'it'—exhibit slower acquisition trajectories.
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