The L1 and L2 Acquisition of English Articles

Abstract

This thesis is a review of empirical literature investigating how L2-learners whose L1 lack articles acquire the semantics of articles. Based on several experimental studies, it is argued that mistakes in the L2-acquisition of articles are non-random: adult L2-learners overuse the in specific indefinite contexts. This article misuse reflects access to the universal semantic features of definiteness, specificity and partitivity, supporting the conclusion that L2-acquisition is guided by UG.