Patterns of English Article Use by L1 Swahili-speaking Learners of EFL in Tanzania

Gerald Eliniongoze

Abstract


Using English articles correctly is noticeably difficult for non-native speakers of
the language. Several competing perspectives attempt to address such
difficulty. Whereas some perspectives hold that non-target-like performance on
articles stems from learners accessing both the definiteness and specificity
settings of the Article Choice Parameter, others hold that such performance
stems from misanalysing English articles as adjectives. This debate
necessitates further research. Accordingly, this paper sets out to determine
which non-target-like aspects –between substitution and omission ones – L1
Swahili-speaking learners are producing more, whether their substitution of
articles stems from accessing both definiteness and specificity settings, and
whether their omission of articles results from misanalysing English articles as
adjectives. Thirty-five learners of English participated in a picture description
task. Results indicate that they substitute articles more frequently than
omitting them. They also fluctuate between definiteness and specificity. The
data do not provide evidence for misanalysing English articles as adjectives.


Full Text:

 Subscribers Only

References


Arıbaş, D. Ş. & Cele, F. (2019). Acquisition of Articles in L2 and L3

English: The Influence of L2 Proficiency on Positive Transfer

from L2 to L3. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural

Development: 1–18.

Bickerton, D. (1981). Roots of Language. Ann Arbor MA: Karoma

Publishers.

Bless, C. & Higson-Smith, C. (1995). Fundamentals of Social

Research Methods: An African Perspective (2nd Edition).

Lusaka: Juta and Co Ltd.

Catalán, R. M. J. (1996). Frequency and Variability in Errors in the

Use of English Prepositions. Miscelánea: A Journal of

English and American Studies, 17: 171–187.

Chan, A. Y. W. (2019). Typology and Contexts of Article Errors:

Investigation into the Use of English Articles by Hong Kong

Cantonese ESL Learners. IRAL - International Review of

Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching: 1–31.

COST Action IS0804, Language Impairment in a Multilingual

Society: Linguistic Patterns and the Road to Assessment.

Available at http://www.bi-sli.org/index.htm

Dryer, M. S. (2005a). Definite Articles. In M. Haspelmath et al. (eds.)

The World Atlas of Language Structures. Oxford: Oxford

University Press: 154–157.

Dryer, M. S. (2005b). Indefinite Articles. In M. Haspelmath et al.

(eds.) The World Atlas of Language Structures. Oxford:

Oxford University Press: 158–161.

Fodor, J. D. & Sag, I. A. (1982). Referential and Quantificational

Indefinites. Linguistics and Philosophy, 5: 355–398.

García-Mayo, M. del P. (2009). Article Choice in L2 English by

Spanish Speakers: Evidence for Full Transfer. In M. del P,

García-Mayo & R. Hawkins (eds.) Second Language

Acquisition of Articles: Empirical Findings and Theoretical

Implications. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing

Company: 13–36.

Haiyan, L. & Lianrui, Y. (2010). An Investigation of English Articles

Acquisition by Chinese Learners of English. Chinese Journal

of Applied Linguistics, 33(3): 15–31.

Hawkins, J. (2004). Efficiency and Complexity in Grammars. Oxford:

Oxford University Press.

Hawkins, R. (2001). Second Language Syntax: A Generative

Gerald E. Kimambo | 43

Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell.

Hawkins, R. & Chan, C. Y-H. (1997). The Partial Availability of

Universal Grammar in Second Language Acquisition: The

‘Failed Functional Features Hypothesis.’ Second Language

Research, 13: 187–226.

Huebner, T. (1983) A Longitudinal Analysis of the Acquisition of

English. Ann Arbor, MA: Karoma Publishers.

Ionin, T. (2003). The Interpretation of ‘the’: A New Look at Articles

in L2-English. In B. Beachley, A. Brown & F. Conlin (eds.)

Proceedings of the 27th Boston University Conference on

Language Development. Somerville MA: Cascadilla Press:

–357.

Ionin, T., Ko, H. & Wexler, K. (2004). Article Semantics in L2

Acquisition: The Role of Specificity. Language Acquisition,

(1): 3–69.

Ionin, T., Ko, H. & Wexler, K. (2003). Specificity as a Grammatical

Notion: Evidence from L2-English Article Use. In G. Garding

and M. Tsujimura (eds.) Proceedings of the West Coast

Conference on Formal Linguistics. Somerville MA:

Cascadilla Press: 245–58.

Ionin, T. & Wexler, K. (2002). Why is “is” easier than “-s”?:

Acquisition of Tense/Agreement Morphology by Child Second

Language Learners of English. Second Language Research,

(2): 95–136.

Jian, S. (2013). An Empirical Research of Chinese Learners’

Acquisition of the English Article System Based on Syntactic

Misanalysis Account. English Language Teaching, 6(4): 56–

Kamal, S. (2013). A paper on English Article Accuracy of EFL

Learners: An Investigation. Journal of Teaching English for

Specific and Academic Purposes, 1(1): 21–28.

Lardière, D. (2004). Knowledge of Definiteness despite Variable

Article Omission. In A. Brugos, L. Micciulla and C. E. Smith

(eds.) Boston University Conference on Language

Development 28 Proceedings. Somerville MA: Cascadilla

Proceedings Project: 328–339.

Lardière, D. (2005). On Morphological Competence. In L.

Dekydspotter, A. Liljestrand and R.A. Sprouse (eds.)

Proceedings of the 7th Generative Approaches to Second

Language Acquisition Conference. Somerville MA: Cascadilla

Proceedings Project: 178–192.

Lee, J. (2013). The Effects of Discourse Types on the Use of English

Articles by Korean Learners of English: Oral vs. Written

| Patterns of English Article Use by LI Swahili-speaking Learners

Narratives. English Language Teaching, 6(8): 33–44.

Lyons, C. (1999). Definiteness. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press.

Master, P. (1987). A Cross-sectional Interlangauge Analysis of the

Acquisition of the English Article System. Unpublished PhD

Dissertation, University of California.

McHugh, M. (2012) Interrater Reliability: The Kappa Statistic.

Biochemia Medica, 22(3): 276–282.

Morales-Reyes, A. & Soler, I. G. (2016). Transfer and Semantic

Universals in the L2 Acquisition of the English Article

System by Child L2 Learners. Language Acquisition, 23(1):

–74.

Ndomba, R. G. (2017). The Definite Article in Swahili. Journal of

Linguistics and Language in Education, 11(2): 22–44.

Paradis, J. (2007). Early Bilingual and Multilingual Acquisition. In

P. Auer & L. Wei (eds.) Handbook of Multilingualism and

Multilingual Education. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter: 15–44.

Paradis, J. (2005). Grammatical Morphology in Children Learning

English as a Second Language: Implications of Similarities

with Specific Language Impairment. Language, Speech, and

Hearing Services in Schools, 36(3): 172–187.

Pongpairoj, N. (2007). Are L2 English Article Choices UG Regulated?

In N. Hilton et al. (eds.) CamLing 2007: Proceedings of the

Fifth University of Cambridge Postgraduate Conference in

Language Research. Cambridge: Cambridge Institute of

Language Research: 213–220.

Prévost, P. & White, L. (2000) Missing Surface Inflection or

Impairment in Second Language Acquisition? Evidence from

Tense and Agreement. Second Language Research, 16(2):

–133.

Robertson, D. (2000). Variability in the Use of the English Article

System by Chinese Learners of English. Second Language

Research, (2): 135–172.

Sarko, G. (2009). L2 English Article Production by Arabic and

French Speakers. In M. del P, García-Mayo & R. Hawkins

(eds.) Second Language Acquisition of Articles: Empirical

Findings and Theoretical Implications. Amsterdam: John

Benjamins Publishing Company: 37–66.

Seidl, A. & Dimitriadis, A. (1997). The Discourse Function of Object

Marking in Swahili. Chicago Linguistic Society, 33: 373–387.

Syndicate, UCLE. (2001). Quick Placement Test (Version 2). Oxford:

Oxford University Press.

Thomas, M. (1989). The Acquisition of English Articles by First- and

Gerald E. Kimambo | 45

Second-Language Learners. Applied Psycholinguistics, 10:

–355.

Trenkic, D. (2009). Accounting for Patterns of Article Omissions and

Substitutions in Second Language Production. In M. del P.

García-Mayo & R. Hawkins (eds.) Second Language

Acquisition of Articles: Empirical Findings and Theoretical

Implications. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing

Company: 115–143.

Trenkic, D. (2008). The Representation of English Articles in Second

Language Grammars: Determiners or Adjectives?

Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 11(01): 1–18.

Trenkic, D. (2007). Variability in Second Language Article

Production: Beyond the Representational Deficit vs.

Processing Constraints Debate. Second Language Research,

(3): 289–327.

Tryzna, M. (2009). Questioning the Validity of the Article Choice

Parameter and the Fluctuation Hypothesis: Evidence from

L2 English Article Use by L1 Polish and L1 Mandarin

Chinese Speakers. In M. del P. Garcia-Mayo & R. Hawkins

(eds.) Second Language Acquisition of Articles: Empirical

Findings and Theoretical Implications. Amsterdam: John

Benjamins Publishing Company.

Vitale, A. (1981). Swahili Syntax. Dordrecht: Foris Publications

Holland.

White, L. (2003). Fossilization in Steady State L2 Grammars:

Persistent Problems with Inflectional Morphology.

Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 6(2): 129–141.

Xia, Z. & Yan-xia, D. (2015). An Investigation of the Misuse of

English Articles of Chinese English Learners. Sino-US

English Teaching, 12(8): 575–582.

Zdorenko, T. and Paradis, J. (2008). The Acquisition of Articles in

Child Second Language English: Fluctuation, Transfer or

both? Second Language Research, 24(2): 227–250


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


 [ISSN 0856-9965 (Print)]