This is a longitudinal case study of two Farsi-speaking children learning English: ‘Bernard’ and ‘Melissa’, who were 7;4 and 8;4 at the start of data collection. The research deals with the initial state and further development in the child second language (L2) acquisition of syntax regarding the presence or absence of copula as a functional category, as well as the role and degree of L1 influe...

This study compares the realization of English narrow focus by L1 speakers of English and Taiwan Mandarin. Results show that L1 Taiwan Mandarin speakers produce a much smaller increase in average F0 and amplitude for on-focus words and a much smaller decrease in average F0 and amplitude on post-focus words than L1 English speakers do. Moreover, post-focus compression of F0 range and duration, v...

In this study we compare the consonantal production of L4 learners (level A1+B2) with the expected canonical pronunciation and the pronunciation of a German L1 control group. The L4 speakers’ source languages are Hong Kong Cantonese (HKC) L1, Hong Kong English (HKE) L2 and Putonghua/Mandarin (P) L3. Due to major disparities across the typologically distant language pair Cantonese and German, an...

In the acquisition of a second language, numerous factors interact simultaneously, including the patterns of the first language (L1), the patterns of the target language (L2), universals of language acquisition, and the amount and type of exposure to the L2. English is learned as a second language in India, where the first languages of the English learners differ widely in the phonotactics of c...

The present study examines prosodic characteristics of Taiwan (TW) English in relation to native (L1) English and TW speakers’ mother tongue, Mandarin. The aim is to investigate 1) how TW second-language (L2) English is different from L1 English by integrated prosodic features 2) if any transfer effect from L2s’ mother tongue contributes to L2 accent and 3) What is the similarity/difference bet...

The aim of this study was to produce gene transfer vectors consisting of plasmid DNA packaged into virus-like particles (VLPs) with different cell tropisms. For this purpose, we have fused the N-terminally truncated VP60 capsid protein of the rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) with sequences which are expected to be sufficient to confer DNA packaging and gene transfer properties to the chi...

Lack of permissive and productive cell cultures for the human papillomaviruses (HPVs) has hindered the study of virus-neutralizing antibodies and infection. We developed a cell-free system generating infectious HPV16 pseudovirions. HPV16 L1/L2 capsids, which had been self-assembled in insect cells (Sf9) expressing virion proteins L1 and L2, were disassembled with 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME), a red...

In his seminal paper on the ‘fundamental difference’ between first and second language (L1 and L2) acquisition, Bley-Vroman (1990) proposed that this disparity is due to the lack of continued access to Universal Grammar and the unavailability of ‘domain-specific learning procedures’ beyond a critical period in child language development. He considered four possible alternative accounts of this ...

This study addresses L1 transfer in Chinese EFL learners’ use of thematic progression English argumentative writing. Through a series statistical analyses the data collected from essays written by and American university students, finds that overuse patterns writing is under influence native language both linguistically conceptually. Tests potential effects intra-group homogeneity intra-L1-grou...

In this paper, we examine the role of computational complexity versus the role of L1 transfer in a group of adult L2 learners of French based on the results of a written grammaticality judgment task which tested four constructions in French: relative clauses, passives, verb raising, and gender and number agreement on accusative clitics. We chose these constructions based on the varying degrees ...