Second Language Vol.6　May 1, 2007

Optionality at the syntax-discourse interface in near-native L2 speakers
Antonella SORACE (University of Edinburgh)

Japanese speakers’ sensitivity to third person singular -s in English: Arguments based on ERP data

大石晴美 (2006)
『脳科学からの第二言語習得論−英語学習と教授法開発−』

Koji SUDA, Sendai National College of Technology

1. Members
2. Regulations
3. Notes for contributors
4. Reviewers for Volume 6
5. Information

日本語話者の英語の３単現の -sに対する敏感度：事象関連電位データに基づく考察*

*本稿は，若林茂則・福田一彦・坂内昌徳・浅岡章一（2006）に加筆・訂正を加えたものである．

It has been widely reported that even advanced level second language learners have problems with grammatical morphemes. Recently, especially in the minimalist framework, a number of studies have focused on the sources of this problem and discussed whether they are at the syntax level or not. In order to contribute to this discussion, we collected neuro-physiological data (the event related potentials) of Japanese learners’ sensitivity to ungrammaticality caused by the lack of subject-verb agreement in their L2 English. Our data showed that Japanese learners showed sensitivity to ungrammaticality of the given sentence (P600) when subjects and verbs did not agree in terms of person (e.g., *I answers your letter) and that P600 did not appear when subjects and verbs did not agree in terms of number, even when 3rd person singular ?s was overused (e.g., *The teachers answers our questions; *Sam and Adam answers our questions). Based on this finding, it will be suggested that the difficulty of the correct use of morphemes is not solely attributed to mapping from syntax to morphology; Japanese learners are likely to have problems with taking features in the numeration; and the asymmetry between person and number is attributable to the difference(s) of these two features: the former is inherent but the latter is optional; and/or the former is available in learners’ first language but the latter is not.

第二言語学習者による形態素使用の誤りは，かなりの上級者になっても見られることがよく知られている．近年，特に極小理論の枠組みでは，この誤りの要因をめぐって，多くの研究がなされ，要因がどのレベルにあるかどうかが議論されている．これまでの研究は，発話や読解速度などの行動的データを基に論じられてきた．本研究では日本語話者による主語と動詞の一致に対する敏感度について，脳生理学的データ（事象関連電位）を収集した．データによれば，日本語話者は，主語と動詞が人称素性において一致しない場合（例 *I answers your letter）は，ERPにP600が現れるが，数素性については，3単現の-sが過剰使用された場合（例 *The teachers answers our questions; *Sam and Adam answers our questions）でもP600が現れない．この素性による反応の違いは，形態素使用の難しさの原因が，統語構造を形態素に置き換える段階のみにあるのではなく，列挙の段階で数素性を取り込むのが難しいことを示唆する．また，この２つの素性の間の違いは，人称素性が名詞句に内在的な素性であるのに対し，数素性は随意的であること，あるいは，人称素性は学習者の母語に存在するが数素性は存在しないこと，もしくはその両方に起因すると考えられる．