First Language Change in Turkish-English Bilinguals

Year 2014, Volume: 31 Issue: 1, 45 - 58, 16.02.2016

Ayşe Gürel

Abstract

This paper examines whether the first language (L1) Turkish grammar would be restructured on the model of second language (L2) English due to prolonged L2 exposure in Turkish-English bilinguals (late L2 learners) living in Turkey and those living in an English-speaking country. The linguistic structure under investigation is wh-scrambling. The results of an acceptability judgment task revealed the same tendencies in the bilingual groups and monolingual controls towards rejection of certain grammatical wh-extractions. Therefore, the observed changes do not qualify to be L2-induced attrition effects. Rather, these findings may imply a language-internal change towards avoidance of wh-scrambling.

Keywords

First Language Change, Bilingualism, Turkish, Wh-scrambling, Island Constraints

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