A ‘mixed methods’ approach for investigating Aspect in a second language: evidence from the SPLLOC project
A ‘mixed methods’ approach for investigating Aspect in a second language: evidence from the SPLLOC project
A leading hypothesis in the study of the L2 acquisition of Aspect-related verbal morphemes is the Lexical Aspect Hypothesis (LAH) (Andersen, 1989, 1991; Andersen & Shirai, 1994) which claims that learners’ use of these forms is determined by the lexical properties of eventualities. However, reviews of major studies reveal that data from one single task, usually an open-ended oral task, has often been used to support the validity of this hypothesis. In this paper, I argue that when studies use a ‘mixed methods’ approach (e.g. combining oral production and experimentally elicited data) they are able to test existing hypotheses such as the LAH more reliably and can offer more valuable insights. I use existing evidence from the SPLLOC project (Mitchell et al. 2008; Domínguez et al. 2013) as supporting evidence for this approach whilst raising some questions about the appropriateness of some research methods adopted in the field.
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Dominguez, Laura
9c1bf2b4-b582-429b-9e8a-5264c4b7e63f
December 2019
Dominguez, Laura
9c1bf2b4-b582-429b-9e8a-5264c4b7e63f
Dominguez, Laura
(2019)
A ‘mixed methods’ approach for investigating Aspect in a second language: evidence from the SPLLOC project.
Dutch Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8 (1), .
(doi:10.1075/dujal.19011.dom).
Abstract
A leading hypothesis in the study of the L2 acquisition of Aspect-related verbal morphemes is the Lexical Aspect Hypothesis (LAH) (Andersen, 1989, 1991; Andersen & Shirai, 1994) which claims that learners’ use of these forms is determined by the lexical properties of eventualities. However, reviews of major studies reveal that data from one single task, usually an open-ended oral task, has often been used to support the validity of this hypothesis. In this paper, I argue that when studies use a ‘mixed methods’ approach (e.g. combining oral production and experimentally elicited data) they are able to test existing hypotheses such as the LAH more reliably and can offer more valuable insights. I use existing evidence from the SPLLOC project (Mitchell et al. 2008; Domínguez et al. 2013) as supporting evidence for this approach whilst raising some questions about the appropriateness of some research methods adopted in the field.
Text
Dominguez Mixed methods for testing aspect
- Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 2 December 2019
Published date: December 2019
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Local EPrints ID: 430317
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/430317
ISSN: 2211-7245
PURE UUID: 003a1d87-3127-4ea6-9617-abaab3fe0c18
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Date deposited: 25 Apr 2019 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 07:47
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