The Development of Grammatical Morphemes in the Speech of Young Children Using English As a Second Language in a Classroom Context
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THE DEVELOPMENTOF GRAMMATICALMORPHEMES IN THE SPEECH OF YOUNGSECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS WITHIN A CONVERSATIONAL CONTEXT. BY CAROLINE H. BARRATT-PUGH. ti Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The University of Leeds School of Education October 1990. ABSTRACT This is a longitudinal study of the development of grammatical morphemes in the speech of young children using English as a second language in a classroom context. The theoretical standpoint adopted is that first and second language development in 'natural' contexts is facilitated by the same underlying processes, and that central to this development is the notion of meaningful interaction, through which conversational partners negotiate shared understanding. It is argued that if the interactional features identified as facilitative in first language development are reproduced within the classroom context, the sequence of development identified in this study will reflect the sequence identified in first language learning. The data was collected over a period of six terms and initial analysis reveals similarities between the process of morphemic development in first and classroom second language learning. As a result of these findings, the analysis is then extended to take account of the conversational context in which development occurs. Particular reference is made to repetition and formulaic speech which the learners appear to use as a means of producing verb morphemes within the context of interrogatives and negation. The methodological significance of the identification and interpretation of strategies within an interactional framework is discussed. Analysis reveals that in addition to the general processes identified, which account for a shared sequence of development in first and second language development, there are individual differences. These differences are related to the learners' mother tongue, the classroom context and the use of particular strategies. Each one is explored in relation to the management of conversational interaction and underlying grammatical development. The incomplete acquisition of grammatical morphemes by the end of the study is seen as significant and the study concludes by suggesting that this has important implications for the nature of interaction in a classroom context. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Diane Shorrocks throughout the period of study for her generous time, patience and advice. In addition to this I would like to thank Dr. Joan Tough for her valuable assistance throughout the study. My thanks must also go to Barbara Mrs Davey (Advisor), Mrs Carol Dhaliwal (Headteacher) and the all staff at Parkwood First School for their support and encouragement during the collection and transcription of data. A special mention must go to Lesley Abbott and colleagues in the Education Department at Manchester Polytechnic, for their generous during the support writing up period. My thanks are also due to my father and my husband, Llandis, for their considerable help during its final preparation. Last but not least my sincere thanks go to all the children, without whose constant enthusiasm and hard work this study would not have been possible. THIS THESIS IS DEDICATED TO MY MOTHER WITH LOVE. CONTENTS PART ONE - THE LITERATURE REVIEW. Chapter 1.0 Recent Research into Language Development. 1 1.1 Introduction. 1- 2 1.2 Contrastive Models of Language Development. 3- 4 1.3 Processing Models of Language Development. 4- 5 1.3.1 Innate Linguistic Capacity Models. 5- 14 1.3.2 Cognitive Models. 15 - 19 1.3.3 Interaction Models. 19 - 30 1.4 The Nature of Conversational Interaction. 31 - 33 1.5 The Management of Conversational Interaction. 34 - 37 1.6 The Role of Repetition in First and Second Language Development. 38 - 40 1.7 The Role of Incorporation in First and Second Language Development. 40 - 41 1.8 The Role of Formulaic Speech in First and Second Language Development. 41 - 44 1.9 Summary. 45 - 46 Chapter 2.0 Second Language Development in the Classroom. 2.1 Introduction. 47 - 47 2.2 Emphasis on Grammatical Competence. 47 - 49 2.3 Emphasis on Communicative Competence. 49 - 50 2.4 Differences between Natural and Classroom Interaction. 50 - 52 2.5 Second Language Development in Language Classrooms. 52 - 54 2.6 Second Language Development in Mainstream Classrooms. 54 - 56 2.7 Facilitative Classroom Conditions for Second Language Development. 56 58 - - 2.8 Summary. 59 - 60 2.9 Review of the Literature: Some Conclusions. 60 - 60 PART TWO - DESIGN AND IMPLIMENTATION OF THE RESEARCHPROJECT. Chapter 3.0 The Framework of the Study. 3.1 Introduction. 61 - 62 3.2 Purpose of the Study. 63 - 64 3.3 Study Design. 65 - 67 3.4 Criteria for Selection of School/Children. 67 - 73 3.5 The Collection of Data. 74 - 79 3.6 The Role and Experience of the Teacher Researcher. 79 - 80 3.7 Implimentation of the Study Design. 81 - 91 PART THREE - THE ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF DATA. Chapter 4.0 An Analysis of the General Development of Morphemes. 4.1 Introduction. 92 - 93 4.2 Results of Analysis. 93 - 101 4.3 General Discussion of Findings. 102 - 105 4.4 Detailed Discussion of Development in this Study. 106 - 118 4.5 Summary. 119 - 119 Chapter 5.0 Framework for Further Analysis. 5.1 Introduction. 120 - 122 5.2 Verb Morphemes. 122 - 126 5.3 Definitions of Repetition in studies of First and Second Language Development. 127 - 133 5.4 Discussion of the Criteria for the Identification of Repetition. 134 - 136 5.5 Discussion of the Categories of Repetition. 137 - 142 5.6 Ambiguities and Clarification. 142 - 143 5.7 Discussion of the Definition of Formulaic Speech in Studies of First/Second Language. 143 - 148 5.8 Summary. 148 - 148 Chapter 6.0 The Development of the Progressive Inflection - ING and Auxiliary. 6.1 Introduction. 149 - 149 6.2 The Development of the Present Progressive. 149 - 162 6.3 Summary. 162 - 162 6.4 Discussion of the Development of the Surface Structure of the Present Progressive - ING. 163 - 170 6.5 Development of the Auxiliary in Relation to the Present Progressive. 171 - 177 6.6 Summary. 177 - 177 6.7 Strategies Used by Learners in Developing the Present Progressive. 178 - 186 6.8 Discussion of Findings. 187 - 188 6.9 Summary. 189 - 189 Chapter 7.0 The Development of the Copula. 7.1 Intoduction. 190 - 190 7.2 The Development of the Surface Structure of the Copula. 191 - 200 7.3 Discussion of Findings. 200 - 205 7.4 Summary. 205 - 205 7.5 Strategies Learners used in Developing the Copula. 206 - 209 7.6 Discussion of the Role of Repetition and Formulaic Speech in the Development of. the Copula. 209 - 213 7.7 Summary. 214 - 215 Chapter 8.0 The Development of the Past and Future Tense. 8.1 Introduction. 216 - 216 8.2 Discussion of the Development of the Past Tense. 216 - 222 8.3 The Role of Repetition. Incorporation and Formulaic Speech in the production of the Past Tense. 222 - 223 Chapter 8 Con't. 8.4 Discussion of the Development of the Future Tense. 224 - 224 8.5 Summary. 225 - 226 Chapter 9.0 The Development of Verb Related Sub Systems. 9.1 Introduction. 227 - 227 9.2 The Sequence of Development of the Interrogative. 227 - 228 9.3 Discussion of the Development of Yes/No Interrogatives. 229 - 231 9.4 Discussion of the Development of WH - Interrogatives. 232 - 242 9.5 Discussion of the Inversion of Modals. 243 - 247 9.6 The Development of Negation in this Study. 248 - 250 9.7 Discussion of the Sequence of Development. 250 - 261 9.8 Summary of Findings in Relation to Interrogatives and Negation. 262 - 264 9.9 Discussion of the Sequence of Development of Interrogatives and Negation in Relation to First and Second Language Studies. 265 - 266 9.10 Some Initial Reflections. 267 - 269 9.11 Child Portraits. 270 - 281 Chapter 10.0 Summary, Conclusions and Educational Implications. 10.1 Morpheme Development. 282 - 287 10.2 Modelled, Sustained and Incorporated Repetition. 287 - 291 10.3 Formulaic Speech. 291 - 293 10.4 Teacher / Researcher Use of Strategies. 293 - 294 10.5 General Conclusions. 295 - 299 10.6 Educational Implications. 299 - 301 10.7 Possibilities for Future Research. 301 - 301 -1- CHAPTERONE RECENT RESEARCHINTO LANGUAGEDEVELOPMENT. 1.1. INTRODUCTION. This study is an investigation into the development of English as a second language by young children in a classroom context. The literature review explores the way in which understanding of first language development has influenced the direction of second language research and pedagogy. This enabled the researcher to identify major gaps within current research and devise an appropriate methodology for the exploration of second language development. Research into first and second language development has undergone major shifts in emphasis during the last two decades. Initially, research focussed on the development of syntax, which led to an attempt to write an adequate description of emerging grammar, which could be applied at any stage of development. This research emphasised the universal properties of all languages. The recognition of the importance of the child's underlying communicative intention, led towards an analysis of the development of semantics. In particular, such analysis centred on the relationship between communicative intentions, and general cognitive development. More recently an interactional perspective has emerged from a growing interest in the pragmatics of language development. This interactional perspective emphasised the way in which language is facilitated through the joint negotiation of meaning within conversational contexts. Second language research has built on studies of first language learning and developed a number of theories which account for the different aspects of second language development. In turn these theories have influenced methods of facilitating second language learning in classroom contexts. Current research emphasises the importance of meaningful interaction and way =:.