Processing of regular and irregular past tense morphology in highly proficient second language learners of English: a self-paced reading study

Pliatsikas, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7093-1773 and Marinis, T. (2013) Processing of regular and irregular past tense morphology in highly proficient second language learners of English: a self-paced reading study. Applied Psycholinguistics, 34 (5). pp. 943-970. ISSN 1469-1817 doi: 10.1017/S0142716412000082

Abstract/Summary

Dual-system models suggest that English past tense morphology involves two processing routes: rule application for regular verbs and memory retrieval for irregular verbs (Pinker, 1999). In second language (L2) processing research, Ullman (2001a) suggested that both verb types are retrieved from memory, but more recently Clahsen and Felser (2006) and Ullman (2004) argued that past tense rule application can be automatised with experience by L2 learners. To address this controversy, we tested highly proficient Greek-English learners with naturalistic or classroom L2 exposure compared to native English speakers in a self-paced reading task involving past tense forms embedded in plausible sentences. Our results suggest that, irrespective to the type of exposure, proficient L2 learners of extended L2 exposure apply rule-based processing.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/26605
Identification Number/DOI	10.1017/S0142716412000082
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IDRCs) > Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism (CeLM) Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Clinical Language Sciences Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Language and Cognition
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
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