ERIC Number: ED354753
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1991
Pages: 14
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1015-2059
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Typological Transfer, Discourse Accent and the Chinese Writer of English.
Green, Christopher
Hongkong Papers in Linguistics and Language Teaching, v14 p51-63 1991
The notion that acquisition of a second language may be influenced by transfer of typological features from the first language is discussed, focusing on the role of topic-prominence in the interlanguage stages of a native Cantonese-speaker learning English. First, the topic-prominent surface structure manifestations in oral Cantonese are examined. A theoretical basis for this type of transfer is then outlined, noting the conditions required in each language, and the situation of marked variants is discussed. Subsequently, a small study using 50 mature, high proficiency students as subjects is described. In it, topicalized structures in English were elicited in a brief writing assignment and analyzed for topic-prominent structures, discourse accent, topic- and theme-driven discourse structure, and patterns in given-new information. Observations are made in each area. A number of areas for further research are identified. A brief bibliography is included. (MSE)
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative; Journal Articles
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A