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Document Details : Title: Agreement in the English Interlanguage of Basque/Spanish Bilinguals Subtitle: A Minimalist Farewell to Pro Author(s): GARCÍA MAYO, María del Pilar , LÁZARO IBARROLA, Amparo , LICERAS, Juana M. Journal: ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics Volume: 151 Date: 2006 Pages: 83-98 DOI: 10.2143/ITL.151.0.2015223 Abstract : This study investigates the status of subject pronouns in the English interlanguage of Basque-Spanish bilinguals from a minimalist perspective. The oral production of 20 participants was analyzed at two different points in their acquisition of English (Time 1: 396 hours of exposure; Time 2: 564 hours of exposure). The pronoun he, systematically adjoined to the verb at Time 1 in sentences that already feature a DP subject, is interpreted as a place holder for the agreement morphemes in the subjects' L1s. At Time 2 the entire pronominal system is acquired and English pronouns become independent. The reanalysis of pronouns, from agreement morphemes to free elements, is argued to have a direct impact on the distribution of inflection in the participants' English interlanguage. |
