Resumen de Cross-linguistic Influence outside the syntax-pragmatics interface: a case study of the acquisition of definiteness
Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen
During the last decade it has been argued that the syntax-pragmatics interface is particularly vulnerable in bilingual contexts. Several studies have identified this interface as the typical locus for cross-linguistic influence. Another factor used to explain deviant development in bilinguals is structural overlap between the two languages involved. In this paper we investigate the acquisition of Norwegian definiteness marking in a Norwegian-English bilingual girl. Her development is different from that of her monolingual peers, and we claim that this difference is qualitative, rather than quantitative. We argue that the observed deviance is not due to a vulnerable syntax-pragmatics interface. Rather, we claim that the pattern results from structural transfer from English, facilitated by superficial similarities between the two languages with respect to the use of a prenominal determiner.
