L2 Bridging descriptions: Second language acquisition from a 'syntactic' to 'pragmatic' language

Abstract

While research has now begun to explore how Asian second language (L2) learners of English manage the introduction of definite discourse-new bridging-relation reference (e.g. the school…the teacher, Clark, 1975), little research has been done in the other direction. The present study collected oral narrative data taken from 40 lower-intermediate level L2 Mandarin learners from a range of 6 article- and 4 article-less first language (L1) backgrounds, alongside equivalent L1 Mandarin (target), English (article-L1) and Korean (article-less L1) data. The L1 findings confirm existing studies’ claims about how bridging descriptions are managed in English, Mandarin and Korea (e.g. Crosthwaite, 2014). The L2 findings suggest that L2 speakers from both article- and article-less L1s were sensitive to the distinction to be made in Mandarin local NP markings when introducing either inferable or non-inferable referents. However, speakers of article-L1s were more likely than those from article-less L1s to use numeral + classifier NPs for non-inferable referents, and demonstrative + classifier NPs when introducing inferable referents, essentially (and erroneously) using these constructions as de facto English indefinite/definite articles in their L2 Mandarin production. There was also an effect of L1 status (article vs. article-less) on the L2 NP forms used for 5 bridging relation categories captured in the picture sequence. Both findings suggest that difficulties producing target-like L2 bridging descriptions in L2 Mandarin lie at the syntax-pragmatics interface.