AATK Conference, Stanford University, July 1, 2012 The Acquisition of Tense- Aspect Marker -ess/ass- by Korean as a Foreign Language (KFL) Learners Sang-Seok Yoon & Yunseong Cheon University of Minnesota
Learner Language Teaching does not equal learning. When and how do learners use what they they were taught? Learner language analysis The development of learner language is not linear. It is systematic and also dynamic (Selinker, 1972).
Past Tense in Learner Language First and second language learners will initially be influenced by the inherent semantic aspect of verbs or predicates in the acquisition of tense and aspect markers associated with or affixed to these verbs (Andersen & Shirai, 1994, p. 133). Aspect Hypothesis Past tense marking initially appears on achievements and accomplishments, and is extended to activities and stative verbs. Achievements à Accomplishments à Activities à Statives
Classification of Verbs (Shirai & Andersen, 1995 based on Vendler 1967) Achievement verb expresses an action takes place instantaneously and is reducible to a single point in time. Accomplishment verb has some duration, but has a single clear inherent endpoint. Activity verb has duration, but with an arbitrary endpoint, and is homogeneous in its structure. Stative verb has no dynamics, and continues without additional effort or energy being applied
Classification of Verbs Achievement verbs: 죽다, 끝나다, 결혼하다, 떠나다 Accomplishment verbs: 찾다, 고치다, 죽이다, 입히다, 편지를쓰다, Activity verbs: 뛰다, 걷다, 말하다, 울다, 웃다, Cognitive-emotive verbs: 알다, 믿다, 모르다, 느끼다,.. Stative verbs: 예쁘다, 좋다, 덥다, 있다, 이다,.
Past Tense Marking in Korean Past tense marking in Korean: -ass/ess- -ass/ess- also indicates perfective aspect (Sohn, 1995). Park (2009) showed that the Chinese learners of Korean generally followed the Aspect Hypothesis in past tense marking. Achievements à Activities à Accomplishments à Cognitive-emotives à Statives
Past Tense Marking in Narratives Discourse Hypothesis (Bardovi-Harlig, 1992, 2000) Past tense marking is more likely to appear on the verbs in the foreground (the main story-line) than in the background. The foreground relates events in the main story line and consists of clauses which move time forward The background elaborates on or evaluates the events in the foreground.
Research Questions 1. Do KFL learners mark -ass/ess- more frequently on the verbs in the foreground than in the background following the Discourse Hypothesis? 2. Do KFL learners in the 2 nd and the 4 th year Korean classes show different past tense marking patterns?
Participants & Tasks Participants* Jake and Emma in the 2 nd year Korean class Lisa and Anna in the 4 th year Korean class Tasks Task 1: Oral interview on travel experience Task 2: Picture-prompted retell task** *All participants names are pseudonyms. ** The retell task pictures were developed by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education Title VI International Studies and Research Program.
Foreground vs Background RQ 1: Do KFL learners mark -ass/ess- more frequently on the verbs in the foreground than in the background following the Discourse Hypothesis? A: Yes, KFL Learners tend to use past tense marker more frequently in the foreground than in the background.
Foreground vs Background Excerpt 1: Jake (2 nd year), Task 1 콜로라도에서등산많이했어요. [Foreground] 산위에있는호수에 에머랄드호수는 6 마일걸어서가야해요, 가야됐어요. 도착했는데아주피곤해요. 돌아올때 6 마일걸어서가야돼요. 아주피곤해요. [Background]
Foreground vs Background Excerpt 2: Jake (2 nd year), Task 2 아이는창문으로밖에, er 아이는친구만나러창문으로밖에가요, 밖에갔어요. 아하지만무서워졌어요? 음. 아줌마는하지마세요라고말했어요. 경찰들은어도, 도, 도착했어요. 아이, 아이를구.. 했어요? [Foreground] 아이는아직무서워서, 어, 아직무서워요. [Background] 어경, 경찰이어아이를구.. 한후에어.. 엄마가아주화가났어요. [Foreground] 경찰이기분이아주좋아요. 그래서아이는, 아이를구했어요. 아, 고양이가 ( 웃음 ) 기분이아주좋아요. [Background]
2 nd year vs 4 th year RQ 2: Do KFL learners in the 2 nd and the 4 th year Korean classes show different past tense marking patterns? A: Remarkable differences between the 2 nd and the 4 th year Korean learners were not found in past tense marking.
2 nd year vs 4 th year Excerpt 3: Emma (2 nd year), Task 2 어, 엄마, 엄마는갔어요. [Foreground] 그다음에아파트에, 어살아요. [Background] 그리고, 엄, 심심했어요. [Foreground] 그리고친구들을어옆에살았어요. [Background]
2 nd year vs 4 th year Excerpt 4: Lisa (4 th year), Task 2 고양이는케이크를먹었어요. 하지만엄마는몰랐, 몰라, 몰라서미나한테화가났어요.. [Foreground] 음. So 그래서엄마는새케이크사야돼요. 사야돼요. 그래서엄마는아, 시장에 no 케이크시장에가야돼요. [Background]
2 nd year vs 4 th year Excerpt 5: Anna (4 th year), Task 1 우리가암... 베르사이궁전에갔어요. [Foreground] 베르사이가아주아름다워요. 궁에다.. 있어요. 하지만여름이라서아주더웠어요. 그래서조금그리고아 아 다른여행가는사람들이많아서아주복잡했어요. 조금불편해요. [Background]
Suggestions for Teaching A balance between form and meaning in context Teachers need to consider that the narrative structure affects the use of -ass/ess- in the context. Various uses of past tense marker -ass/ess- in context need to be taught in the intermediate and higher level The meaning of -ass/ess- is not determined grammatically but dependent on contextual interpretations (Lee, 2003; Oh, 2003). Focus on what is learned, not only on what to teach
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