Acquisition of English Verb Aspect by Korean Speakers : A Longitudinal Analysis

Abstract

The Aspect Hypothesis asserts that verb inflections in the early interlanguage stage function primarily as markers of lexical aspect. Past tense will first be marked on accomplishemt and achievement verbs, progressive will be marked first on activity verbs, and there is no overgeneralization of progressive to state verbs. Ample evidence supporting this hypothesis has been gathered in both first and second language acquisition research (cf. Andersen, 1991; Antinucci & Miller, 1976; Bardovi-Harlig & Reynolds, 1995; Bronckart & Sinclair, 1973; Robison, 1990). The studies conducted so far, however, have focused on only a few source and target languages, and few studies have tested the Hypothesis using a longitudinal approach. Furthermore, no studies have tested the Hypothesis using SLA data of Korean speakers. For a more thorough understanding of the SLA process, we need to investigate the Hypothesis with different types of language development. This study longitudinally investigated the development of English interlanguages by two Korean speakers. Audiotaped spontaneous conversation and elicited speech collected over thirteen months were analyzed to test the Hypothesis. The results supported two claims of the Hypothesis. The learners marked past tense first on achievement and accomplishment verbs, and progressive marking first on activity verbs. However, contrary to the Hypothesis, learners used progressive marking on state verbs. The predicted extension of past tense marking, from achievement and accomplishment to activity and state, and of progressive marking from activity to accomplishment was not observed.