Processability, Typology Distance and L1 Transfer

• Published in: CROSS-LINGUISTIC ASPECTS OF PROCESSABILITY THEORY, Pienemann, Manfred [Ed], Amsterdam, NE: John Benjamins, 2005, pp 85-116
• Main Authors: Pienemann, Manfred, Di Biase, Bruno, Kawaguchi, Satomi, Hakansson, Gisela
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2005
• ISBN: 9027241414; 9789027241412
• ISSN: 0928-1533

This chapter focuses on the interplay between L1 transfer & psycholinguistic constraints on L2 processability. The theoretical assumptions underlying this paper are those made in Processability Theory (Pienemann 1998) which include, in particular, the following two hypotheses: (i) that L1 transfer is constrained by the processability of the given structure & (ii) that the initial state of the L2 does not necessarily equal the final state of the L1, because there is no guarantee that the given L1 structure is processable by the under-developed L2 parser. In other words, it is assumed that L1 transfer is constrained by the capacity of the language processor of the L2 learner (or bilingual speaker) irrespective of the typological distance between the two languages. Using the PT hierarchy as a comparative matrix, we will demonstrate on the basis of empirical studies of SLA that learners of closely related languages do not necessarily transfer grammatical features at the initial state even if these features are contained in L1 & L2, providing the features are located higher up the processability hierarchy. We will further demonstrate that such features will be transferred when the IL has developed the necessary processing prerequisites. In addition, we will demonstrate that typological distance & differences in grammatical marking need not constitute a barrier to learning if the feature to be learned is processable at the given point in time. All of this demonstrates that processability is a key variable in L1 transfer. Adapted from the source document