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Articles |
Linguistic Theory and Second Language Phonological Learning: A Perspective and Some Proposals1
University of Amsterdam
This paper considers the relationship between linguistic theory and the study of L2 phonology and develops a set of criteria by which second language acquisition researchers may draw on phonological theory for their work and at the same time contribute to phonological theory by their own study. The criteria established in the first part of the paper allow L2 analysts to commit themselves to a particular theory via principled decisions concerning the object and goals of their analysis. It is claimed that given the present state of knowledge non-linear generative phonological theories provide the most promising frameworks for L2 study. In the second part of the paper, a short review of the literature on L2 phonological acquisition reveals that such research has not in the past been greatly concerned to define itself in relation to phonological theory. In the third part, concrete proposals are made for a particular model of L2 phonological acquisition, which employs the criteria discussed and adopts elements of non-linear phonological theories in its descriptive apparatus. It is shown, for example, that this type of phonological framework enables significant claims to be made concerning the complex nature and course of development of an L2 phonology in acquisition.