Convergences between L2 acquisition and L1 attrition at the syntax-discourse
interface
Antonella Sorace
University of Edinburgh
Some of the interfaces between syntax and other cognitive domains have been shown
to be unstable and open to cross-linguistic influence in different areas of bilingual
language development, including adult second language (L2) acquisition, first
language (L1) attrition, and bilingual L1 acquisition. This instability is manifested in
optionality and variability in production and interpretation. I will focus on the syntax
of pronominal subjects in Italian as an example of syntax-discourse interface
phenomenon that turns out to be prone to optionality, in very similar ways, in both L2
acquisition and L1 attrition. Two broad types of explanations have been proposed.
One is that optionality is the result of un(der)specification of interface features at the
level of knowledge representations, potentially due to the influence of the speaker’s
other language; the other is that it stems from the lack of processing resources to
integrate the multiple (syntactic, pragmatic) types of information involved in the
appropriate selection of a particular pronominal form. I will explore the second
explanation in some detail, based on recent research on the processing of pronounantecedent dependencies in Italian. I will finally suggest that the interaction of
structural factors and processing requirements favours overt subject pronouns as the
most ‘economical’ forms in bilingual language development. Moreover, since the
same patterns of optionality are found in bilinguals irrespective of whether the other
language does or does not allow null subjects, crosslinguistic influence cannot be the
only cause. It is therefore important to distinguish - theoretically and experimentally between cross-linguistic influence and the use of ‘default’ forms.