The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of two consonant coda clusters of first language Persian, second language English and third language French in the acquisition of French syllable structure when learners have achieved different levels of L2 proficiency. The purpose of this study was to find errors due to transfer of the syllable structure from the L1, i.e., Full Transfer/Full Access or L2, i.e., L2 Status or the combination of L1 and L2 into L3, i.e., the Cumulative Enhancement Model and find the role of typological similarities between L3 and the previously learned languages i.e. Typological Primacy Model. This study also investigated the role of L2 proficiency in acquiring a French syllable structure. To carry out the study, 30 Persian L3 French candidates at Tehran University who participated at Oxford Placement Test and French Placement Test were selected. In addition, two types of tasks were prepared to measure the L3 learners' ability in the perception and production of French syllable structure. The results showed that similarities between L3 and previously learned language and L1 played a role in the acquisition of L3 syllable structure. The results further proved 'Full access/ Full transfer' and 'Typological Primacy Model.
Aronin, L., & Hufeisen, B. (2009).The Exploration of Multilingualism. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Bardel, C., & Falk, Y. (2007). The role of the second language in third language acquisition: the case of Germanic syntax. Second Language Research, 23, 459-484.
Bardel, C., & Falk, Y. (2011), ‘Object pronouns in German L3 syntax: Evidence for the L2 status factor’. Second Language Research 27 (2), 59-82.
Cook, V. (1995). Multi-Competence and the learning of many languages. Language, Culture, and Curriculum 8(2) 93-98.
Falk, Y., & Bardel, C. (2010).The study of the role of the background languages in third language acquisition. The state of the art. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching. IRAL 48(2-3): 185–220.
Flynn, S. (2009). UG and L3 acquisition: New insights and more questions. In: Y.-k.I. Leung (Ed.) Third Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar. (pp. 71-88) Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Flynn, S., Foley, C., & Vinnitskaya, I. (2004). The cumulative-enhancement model for language acquisition: Comparing adults’ and children’s patterns of development in first, second and third language acquisition of progressive clauses. International Journal o Multilingualism, 1, 3-16.
Grosjean, F. (1989). Neurologists, beware! The bilingual is not two monolinguals in one person. Brain and Language, 36, 3-15.
Håkansson, G., Pienemann, M., & Sayheli, S. (2002). Transfer and typological proximity in the context of second language processing.Second Language Research, 18 (33), 250-273.
Herdina, P., & Jessner, U. (2002). A dynamic model of multilingualism: Perspectives of change in psycholinguistics, 121. Clevendon: Multilingual Matters.
Jessner, U. (1999). Metalinguistic awareness in multilinguals: Cognitive aspects of third language learning. Language Awareness, 8(3&4), 201-209.
Peat, J. (2001). Health Science Research: A handbook of quantitative methods. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Pinto, J. (2013).Cross-linguistic influence at lexical level. A study with Morocca learners of Portuguese as an L3.3-50.
Rothman, J. (2010). L3 syntactic transfer selectivity and typological determinacy: the typological primacy model. Second Language Research.
Rothman, J., & Cabrelli-Amaro, J. (2010). What variables condition syntactic transfer? A look at the L3 initial state. Second Language Research, 26, 189-218.
Schwartz, B. D., and Spouse, R. A. (1994). Word order and nominative case in nonnative language acquisition: a longitudinal study of (L1 Turkish) German interlanguage. In T. Hoekstra and B. D. Schwartz (eds.) Language acquisition studies in generative grammar. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Schwartz, B. D., and Sprouse, R. A. ( 1996). L2 cognitive states and the Full Transfer/Full Access model. Second Language Research 12: 40-72.
White, L. (2003). Second language acquisition and Universal Grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
In-Text Citation: (Moradi et al., 2014)
To Cite this Article: Moradi, N. S., Jabbari, A. A., & Rezaei, M. J. (2014). The Role of Persian L1 and English L2 on the Acquisition of French L3 Syllable Structure. Multilingual Academic Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 2(1), 14–25.
Copyright: © 2014 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
