Learnability in the acquisition of the English tough construction by L1-Korean adult and child L2 learners

• Published in: Second language research Vol. 38; no. 2; pp. 259 - 287
• Main Authors: Kim, Kitaek, Schwartz, Bonnie D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.04.2022; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Adults; Children; College Students; Decision Making; English (Second Language); English as a second language learning; Foreign Countries; Infinitives; Judgment; Korean; Korean language; Language Proficiency; Learnability; Linguistic Input; Linguistic Theory; Native Language; Native Speakers; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Student Attitudes; Syntax; Task Analysis; Transfer of Training; Valence; Value Judgment; South Korea; L2 learnability problem; second language acquisition; the English tough construction; Fundamental Difference Hypothesis
• ISSN: 0267-6583; 1477-0326
• DOI: 10.1177/0267658320922594

In the English tough construction (TC), knowledge of tough movement is necessary for target performance (the object-interpretation only; e.g. Johni is easy to see ei). The acquisition of the English TC raises a learnability problem for first-language (L1) Korean learners of English as a second language (L2): (1) Korean has no tough movement; (2) no input dictates that the ‘subject interpretation’ is disallowed in the English TC; and (3) no classroom instruction covers the English TC. According to the Fundamental Difference Hypothesis, L2 children – but not L2 adults – can overcome this learnability problem. L1-Korean adult (n = 49) and child (n = 30) L2 learners’ (L2ers’) knowledge of the English TC was assessed via a truth-value judgment task manipulating (1) verb transitivity to make the infinitival object gap more vs. less salient and (2) context to avoid vs. strengthen bias toward the (erroneous) subject interpretation. Notably, some high-proficiency adult L2ers showed significantly above-chance performance, despite the error-inducing manipulations, suggesting that adult L2ers can overcome the learnability problem.