The acquisition of a syntactic structure in L2 speech: the role of working memory capacity

RLA. Revista de Lingüística Teórica y Aplicada Concepción (Chile), 50 (1), I Sem. 2012, pp. 119-138. CL ISSN 0033 - 698X The acquisition of a syntactic structure in L2 speech: the role of working memory capacity La adquisición de una estructura sintáctica en el habla del L2: el papel de la capacidad de memoria operativa KYRIA FINARDI Federal University of Espírito Santo. Vitória, Brasil MAILCE BORGES MOTA Federal University of Santa Catarina. Florianópolis, Brasil ABSTRACT The study investigated whether working memory capacity is related to the acquisition of a syntactic structure as it emerges in L2 speech. Following Information Processing Theory L2 speaking is conceptualized as a complex skill requiring both automatic and controlled processes for its execution. Controlled processes require attention, which is limited in working memory. L2 speech production and acquisition are explained in terms of the interplay of controlled and automatic processes as well as in terms of the operation of a dual code cognitive system made up of a rule-based and a memory-based system. Working memory is assumed to be involved in the execution of controlled processes operating in the rule-base system, which, in turn, are assumed to be at least partially responsible for the acquisition of a syntactic structure in L2 speech. Overall results show that working memory capacity is related to the acquisition of a syntactic structure in L2 speech. Linguistic accounts of L2 processing are used to complement and explain the acquisition of the syntactic structure. Results are discussed in terms of the linguistic and psycholinguistic complexity of the syntactic structure investigated in relation to working memory capacity, processing of form versus processing of meaning, the acquisition of a rule by the rulebased system, L1 and L2 linguistic variations and constraints in L2 speech production. Keywords: Working memory, acquisition of syntactic structure, L2 speech. 119 RLA. Revista de Lingüística Teórica y Aplicada, 50 (1), I Sem. 2012 RESUMEN En este estudio se analiza si la capacidad de memoria operativa está relacionada con la adquisición de una estructura sintáctica en el habla del L2. Partiendo de la Teoría del Procesamiento de Información, el habla en L2 es vista como una habilidad compleja que requiere procesos automáticos y controlados para su ejecución. Los procesos controlados necesitan una atención que en la memoria operacional es limitada. La producción y adquisición del habla en L2 es explicada a través de la operación de un sistema cognitivo doble, compuesto por un código basado en la regla y otro basado en la memoria. La memoria operacional está involucrada en la ejecución de los procesos controlados que operan en el sistema basado en la regla y que, por su parte, son parcialmente responsables de la adquisición de una estructura sintáctica en el habla del L2. En términos generales, los resultados de la investigación muestran que la capacidad de la memoria operacional está relacionada con la adquisición de una estructura sintáctica en el habla del L2. Un aporte lingüístico del procesamiento en L2 también es utilizado para complementar y explicar la adquisición de esa estructura sintáctica, con lo que se lleva a cabo una discusión de los datos desde una perspectiva de la complejidad lingüística y psicolingüística de la estructura investigada. La discusión también abarca el procesamiento de la forma versus el procesamiento del significado, la adquisición de una estructura por el sistema basado en la regla, variaciones lingüísticas en L1 y L2 y, finalmente, las limitantes de la producción del habla en L2. Palabras clave: Memoria operacional, adquisición de una estructura sintáctica, habla en L2. Recibido: 08.08.2011. Aceptado: 14.03.2012. 1. INTRODUCTION A mong the many abilities that learners must develop in the course of L2 acquisition, speaking is the one which represents the greatest challenge for adult learners to master. Due to the difficulty associated with learning to speak a second language fluently on one hand, and its importance on the other, the present study represents an attempt to better understand L2 learning in general, and the processes involved in L2 speech acquisition in particular. Information processing theory has been used as a framework to study both L2 acquisition and speaking in a systematic way for over two decades now (Fortkamp, 2008). A basic tenet of this approach is that human beings process information under the constraints of a limited capacity cognitive system –working memory– which functions as a computational arena, fueled by limited cognitive resources (attention) that support both the execution of various symbolic computations and the maintenance of intermediate products generated by these compu฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ working memory is treated as the theoretical construct that refers to the system 120 ฀ ฀ ฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀K. FINARDI, M. BORGES M. or mechanism underlying the maintenance of task-relevant information during ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ believed to be limited. The earliest reference to limitations in this system was associated with shortterm memory and became known as the Magical Number Seven introduced by Miller (1956), who noticed that the memory span of young adults was around seven elements or chunks. More recently, Cowan (2001) proposed that working memory capacity is about four chunks in young adults and fewer in children and old adults. Working memory capacity is usually assessed in terms of complex span tests which are dual-tasks comprising a memory span measure and a concurrent processing task. Measures of working memory capacity are strongly related to performance in other complex cognitive tasks such as reading comprehension and problem solving, ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ Within information processing theory, the construct of working memory has been used to explain human processing and there is evidence that individual differences in working memory capacity constrain a number of cognitive processes in first and second language comprehension and production. In the field of second language (L2) acquisition and processing, performance on working memory tasks has been shown to correlate with performance in various skills, including reading, writing, and grammar and vocabulary acquisition and development (for a recent ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ differences in working memory capacity have also been examined in L2 speech ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ Finardi, 2008; Finardi, 2010a; Fortkamp, 2000; Guara-Tavares, 2008; Mizera, ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ sheimer, 2007; among others). Overall these studies show that individuals with larger working memory capacity tend to outperform those with smaller working memory capacity in L2 processing and, in the case of speaking, in aspects such as fluency, accuracy, complexity and weighted lexical density. According to the aforementioned studies, working memory capacity plays an important ro (...truncated)