UNACCUSATIVE AND UNERGATIVE VERB VARIATION IN OVERPASSIVIZATION ERRORS: EXAMINING SPLIT INTRANSITIVITY HIERARCHY
Journal
Taiwan Journal of Linguistics
Journal Volume
21
Journal Issue
2
Pages
1-43
Date Issued
2023
Author(s)
Abstract
One of the most well known errors in second language acquisition is overpassivization of intransitive verbs. Even though many theories have been proposed to explain the nature of second language (L2) acquisition, very few can explain th e huge verb variation found in these studies. Sorace’s Split Intransitivity Hierarchy was originally proposed to explain native speakers’ auxiliary selection across unaccusative and unergative verbs. Verbs in the hierarchy are classified into "Core,," "Less Core" and "Periphery" groups. Recen tly, this theory has been extended to explain L2 learners’ acquisition of intransitive verbs. The current study re examined overpassivization errors among L2 Mandarin learners with three different proficiency levels by looking at whether the error numbers they produced conform to the predictions of Sorace’s Split Intransitivity Hierarchy a nd Perlmutter’s Unaccusative Hypothesis. Participants were asked to describe picture s using target intransitive verbs, including both unaccusative and unergative verbs. The results were in support of Sorace’s hypothesis. S ubjects produced significantly more errors in "Periphery" and "Less Core" categories than in the "Core" In addition, the results of the experiment also supported the Unaccusative Hypothesis.
Type
journal article