Lexical Development in Instructed L2 Learners of French: Is there a Relationship with Morphosyntactic Development?

Abstract

Although a number of studies have documented French L2 development (e.g. Ayoun, 2007; Dewaele, 2005; Myles and Towell, 2004; Prévost and Paradis, 2004), most focus on one or more aspects of morphosyntax, and there is comparatively little research on lexical development in French as an L2 (but see David, 2008; Graham, Richards and Malvern, 2008; Milton, 2006; Richards, Malvern and Graham, 2008). Even fewer studies investigate the relationship between the development of morphosyntax and vocabulary and the role that the lexicon might play in morphosyntactic development. This relationship is of interest as it might have implications not only for language acquisition theory, but also for better understanding the relationship between the lexicon and syntax in natural languages. For instance, some recent theories of language suggest that the brain is modular and that the different modules (e.g. phonology, syntax and lexis) are independent from one another and do not interact with each other except at the level of interfaces (which are external to them) (Jackendoff, 2002). One of the implications for language acquisition is that the processes by which these modules are acquired might also be separate. Hence (second) language learners might develop their lexicon and morphosyntax independently from one another at different rates and at different times.

The research reported here is based on data collected during the FLLOC projects (directed by Florence Myles and Ros Mitchell) funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) award numbers R000223421, RES000220070, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) RE-AN9057/APN-15456, AR112118 and the British Academy SG 41141 since 2001, at the University of Southampton and Newcastle University.