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Prior Linguistic Knowledge Matters : the Use of the Partitive Case In

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Prior Linguistic Knowledge Matters : the Use of the Partitive Case In B 111 OULU 2013 B 111 UNIVERSITY OF OULU P.O.B. 7500 FI-90014 UNIVERSITY OF OULU FINLAND ACTA UNIVERSITATIS OULUENSIS ACTA UNIVERSITATIS OULUENSIS ACTA SERIES EDITORS HUMANIORAB Marianne Spoelman ASCIENTIAE RERUM NATURALIUM Marianne Spoelman Senior Assistant Jorma Arhippainen PRIOR LINGUISTIC BHUMANIORA KNOWLEDGE MATTERS University Lecturer Santeri Palviainen CTECHNICA THE USE OF THE PARTITIVE CASE IN FINNISH Docent Hannu Heusala LEARNER LANGUAGE DMEDICA Professor Olli Vuolteenaho ESCIENTIAE RERUM SOCIALIUM University Lecturer Hannu Heikkinen FSCRIPTA ACADEMICA Director Sinikka Eskelinen GOECONOMICA Professor Jari Juga EDITOR IN CHIEF Professor Olli Vuolteenaho PUBLICATIONS EDITOR Publications Editor Kirsti Nurkkala UNIVERSITY OF OULU GRADUATE SCHOOL; UNIVERSITY OF OULU, FACULTY OF HUMANITIES, FINNISH LANGUAGE ISBN 978-952-62-0113-9 (Paperback) ISBN 978-952-62-0114-6 (PDF) ISSN 0355-3205 (Print) ISSN 1796-2218 (Online) ACTA UNIVERSITATIS OULUENSIS B Humaniora 111 MARIANNE SPOELMAN PRIOR LINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE MATTERS The use of the partitive case in Finnish learner language Academic dissertation to be presented with the assent of the Doctoral Training Committee of Human Sciences of the University of Oulu for public defence in Keckmaninsali (Auditorium HU106), Linnanmaa, on 24 May 2013, at 12 noon UNIVERSITY OF OULU, OULU 2013 Copyright © 2013 Acta Univ. Oul. B 111, 2013 Supervised by Docent Jarmo H. Jantunen Professor Helena Sulkala Reviewed by Professor Tuomas Huumo Associate Professor Scott Jarvis Opponent Associate Professor Scott Jarvis ISBN 978-952-62-0113-9 (Paperback) ISBN 978-952-62-0114-6 (PDF) ISSN 0355-3205 (Printed) ISSN 1796-2218 (Online) Cover Design Raimo Ahonen JUVENES PRINT TAMPERE 2013 Spoelman, Marianne, Prior linguistic knowledge matters: The use of the partitive case in Finnish learner language University of Oulu Graduate School; University of Oulu, Faculty of Humanities, Finnish Language, P.O. Box 1000, FI-90014 University of Oulu, Finland Acta Univ. Oul. B 111, 2013 Oulu, Finland Abstract The partitive (one of the fifteen Finnish cases and a typical case characterizing Finnic languages) developed from the Uralic separative locative into a grammatical case. In modern Finnish, it is one of the object, existential subject and predicative cases, representing that side of the case alternations that expresses unboundedness and negative polarity. Probably because the three case alternations differ in certain respects and clear-cut grammar rules cannot always be formulated, the use of the partitive remains a constant struggle for learners of Finnish. This study investigates the use of partitive objects, subjects and predicatives in Estonian, German and Dutch learners of Finnish as a foreign language. By comparing groups of learners from L1 backgrounds closely related and non-related to the target language (TL), it is aimed to explore the role of presence versus lack of relevant prior linguistic knowledge. The use of the partitive is namely largely similar in the closely related Estonian language. However, the purpose of the study is not only to gain valuable insights into the phenomena of L1 influence and intralingual influence but also to identify (common and L1 background-specific) stumbling blocks in the use of the partitive case, and to draw pedagogical implications based upon the findings. Research materials were selected from the Estonian, German and Dutch subcorpora of the International Corpus of Learner Finnish (ICLFI), aligned to the CEFR proficiency levels, and analyzed based on combined error-frequency analyses, involving partitive over- and underuse errors and partitive-requiring contexts (PRCs). As will be shown, the study reveals conspicuous differences between the learner corpora. In general, the Estonian learner corpus not only shows significantly fewer partitive errors than the other corpora, but also some specific error patterns attributable to subtle L1-L2 differences and, unlike the remaining corpora, a lack of overgeneralization of L2 grammar rules. The findings do not only indicate that -and how- prior linguistic knowledge matters, but also suggest that stumbling blocks could potentially be turned into stepping stones by emphasizing L1-L2 differences in the case of Estonian learners of Finnish, and by highlighting similarities and differences from within the TL in cases of learners from non-related L1 backgrounds. Keywords: partitive case - learner corpus research - L1 influence and intralingual influence Spoelman, Marianne, Partitiivin käyttö oppijansuomessa Oulun yliopiston tutkijakoulu; Oulun yliopisto, Humanistinen tiedekunta, Suomen kieli, PL 1000, 90014 Oulun yliopisto Acta Univ. Oul. B 111, 2013 Oulu Tiivistelmä Itämerensuomalaisille kielille tyypillinen partitiivi on aikaa myöten kehittynyt separatiivi-nimi- sestä uralilaisen kantakielen paikallissijasta syntaktisia funktioita ilmaisevaksi sijamuodoksi. Nykysuomessa partitiivi on yksi objektin, eksistentiaali-subjektin ja predikaativin sijoista, jolla ilmaistaan rajaamattomuutta ja kielteisyyttä. Partitiivin käyttö aiheuttaa suomen kielen oppijoil- le usein ongelmia, luultavasti koska objektin, subjektin ja predikatiivin sijanvalinnassa on vaih- telua ja ratkaisevien kieliopillisten sääntöjen muodostus on toisinaan erittäin vaikeaa. Tässä tut- kimuksessa tarkastelen virolaisten, saksalaisten ja hollantilaisten suomea vieraana kielenä opis- kelevien partitiiviobjektin, -subjektin ja -predikatiivin käyttöä lähde- ja kohdekielen samanlai- suuden ja erilaisuuden näkökulmasta. Lähde- ja kohdekielen roolin selvittämisen lisäksi tutki- muksen tavoitteina on identifioida partitiivin (yleiset ja lähdekielikohtaiset) ongelmakohdat ja yhdistää tutkimustulokset vieraan kielen oppimiseen ja -opetukseen. Tutkimusaineistoina on virolaisten, saksalaisten ja hollantilaisten opiskelijoiden kirjoittamia tekstejä, jotka on poimittu Kansainvälisestä oppijansuomen korpuksesta (ICLFI) ja arvioitu Eurooppalaisen viitekehyksen (CEFR) kielitaitotasojen mukaan. Virhe- ja frekvenssianalyyseis- sä aineistoista analysoidaan muun muassa partitiivin yli- ja alikäyttövirheet ja partitiivin vaati- mat kontekstit. Tutkimuksesta käy ilmi, että virolaisten oppijoiden ja ei-sukukieliä puhuvien oppijoiden tuo- toksissa on silmiinpistäviä eroja. Virolaisten aineistosta löytyy yleisesti tilastollisesti vähemmän partitiivivirheitä kuin kahdesta muusta osakorpuksesta ja lisäksi myös virhekategorioita ja - rakenteita, jotka johtunevat lähdekielen vaikutuksesta. Tämän lisäksi saksalaisten ja hollantilais- ten tuotoksissa on selvästi enemmän kohdekielen sääntöjen yliyleistämistä kuin virolaisten osa- korpuksessa. Tutkimustulokset siis osoittavat, että lähdekieli vaikuttaa kohdekielen oppimiseen, ja sen, miten se vaikuttaa. Lisäksi tutkimustulosten avulla on mahdollista kehittää sellaisia ope- tuksen apuvälineitä, joilla voidaan selventää virolaisille suomenoppijoille L1:n ja L2:n partitii- vin käytön eroja ja yhtäläisyyksiä ja tehostaa oppimista; ei-sukukielisten oppijoiden opetuksessa ovat puolestaan kohdekielen ja sijanvaihteluiden sisäiset tunnusmerkit tärkeitä. Asiasanat: partitiivi - oppijankielen tutkimus - lähde- ja kohdekielen vaikutus Acknowledgements It was shortly after Midsummer, five years ago, that I left the countryside of the north of the Netherlands and headed twelve degrees more north to pursue a Ph.D in Finnish as a foreign language. My time in Finland has been an unforgettable journey, during which I have learned and gained more than I could have ever imagined. One of the joys of completing my dissertation is to look back on my journey of the past few years and take a moment to thank everyone who has helped and supported me along the way. Of all the people I wish to acknowledge, I first would like to thank my supervisor, Jarmo Harri Jantunen, for the guidance and thoughtful support he provided during my research and for allowing me the freedom to work as I chose. My deepest thanks also go to my second supervisor, Helena Sulkala, for her valuable comments, encouragement and warm support. Special thanks also to Lili Ahonen, who taught me the ropes of the intriguing Finnish language, inspired and encouraged me and has always shown interest towards my work. I am grateful to these three people in particular for believing in me and my research. My special thanks are extended to my pre-examiners, Tuomas Huumo and Scott Jarvis, for their very valuable and detailed comments on my work. Additionally, I would like to express my great appreciation to Scott Jarvis for agreeing to act as the opponent at my dissertation defence and for generously indicating nearly all orthographic errors and grammatical mistakes in my manuscript. By supplementing my lack of Finnish L1 competence whenever needed, Lili Ahonen and Inkeri Tuikka have been a great help to me during the error tagging procedure, while Helena Sulkala and Heli Laanekask thought over some of my Estonian translations, and Tuomas Huumo was so kind to indicate the last instances of Finnish influence in my Estonian. My sincere thanks also to Santeri Palviainen for his comments and for explaining how to solve my layout problem, and to my father, Henk Spoelman, for greatly assisting me (with his absolute precision) in a general and final checking session. All of this has greatly contributed to improve the quality of my work and to get it finished. The remaining errors and unclarities are naturally mine. 7 Furthermore, it has been a privilege to spend several years at the department of Finnish language of the University
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