L1 or L2 acquisition? Finiteness in child second language learners (cL2), compared to adult L2 learners (aL2) and young bilingual children

The marking of finiteness has long been known to differ between first language (L1) and adult second language (aL2) acquisition. Therefore this phenomenon is interesting in the study of whether child second language (cL2) acquisition proceeds like L1 or like aL2 (Meisel 2008), or perhaps in some way between the two. This is interesting for current discussions on differences due to the Age of Onset (Meisel 2009, Montrul 2008) and on the Critical Period Hypothesis.

In this contribution, the use of finite and non-finite forms of lexical verbs in initial stages of French will be compared in three types of Swedish-French learners: 2L1, aL2 and cL2. A small number of learners are studied in case studies on spontaneous data, using the same methods of analysis.

It will be argued, firstly, that the cL2 children clearly differ from 2L1, and initially behave like aL2 learners; and secondly, that if we compare the time of exposure of the cL2 and the aL2 learners, cL2 are more L1-like in that they get a target-like behaviour faster than aL2 learners. This means that we may consider their development as a type of intermediate between L1 and aL2.