Incomplete L1 acquisition in the immigrant situation

Yiddish in the United States

Auteurs

• Glenn Levine

Paramètres

• Manuels
• Manuels universitaires

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To establish a model for investigating 'incomplete L1 acquisition,' the author analyzes the speech of ten elderly Yiddish speakers who learned Yiddish and English simultaneously but have not used Yiddish since childhood. The study focuses on whether the divergent forms observed are due to L1 attrition—loss of previously acquired knowledge—or incomplete L1 acquisition, where initial forms are not fully acquired, resulting in 'fossilized' child language. The author integrates various theoretical perspectives, accepting Chomskyan ideas of innateness and the language faculty while emphasizing the significance of social and sociolinguistic input. Key issues such as 'linguistic identity' and usage patterns are shown to influence acquisition quality in bilingual contexts. By comparing the speech of 'native' Yiddish adults and mono- and bilingual German and Dutch children, the study isolates a linguistic rule (present perfect) attributed to incomplete L1 acquisition rather than attrition. Ultimately, the research illustrates the clash between a child's innate ability to structure linguistic input and the social barriers that hinder 'normal' acquisition. The monograph provides a theoretical framework for examining incomplete first language acquisition through the lens of Yiddish.

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• Année de publication: 2000