Native-Like Attainment In L2 Syntax*

Introduction

The article “Native-like attainment in L2 syntax” was published in the EUROSLA Yearbook 3 journal in the year 2003. It aimed at addressing the question on whether learners who start learning a second language after reaching puberty would acquire the proficiency of the natives in L2 grammar. To answer this question, the researchers undertook a study which involved a comparison of the performance of 15 French native speakers and 15 German native speakers, who also doubled up as late learners of Dutch language with the performance of 44 highly educated Dutch native speakers (Boxtel et al, 2003). The thirty late learners had arrived in the Netherlands aged between 12 years and 35 years and had spent at least four years in Netherlands. The selection process for the participants was based on their age of arrival and how proficient they were in Dutch language (Boxtel et al, 2003). These participants were subjected to grammar tests that tested dummy subject constructions, which is known to be extremely difficult for second language learners to acquire. The performance of the participants showed that second language learners would still have the capacity to acquire the level of proficiency in Dutch as that of native speakers.

The research outlined in this journal is extremely detailed as to the methods and selection criteria used in answering the question posed by the researchers. However, while the results of the study answer the question and disprove the hypothesis, it is noteworthy that the number of participants was relatively small. The use of a larger and more proportionate group would have been imperative and particularly if the study included native speakers of other languages apart from French and German. On the same note, it could test the impact of the level of education on proficiency in the same.

References

Van Boxtel, S., Bongaerts, T & Coppen, P (2003). Native-like attainment in L2 syntax*. EUROSLA Yearbook 3, 157–181.