A GENERATIVE ANALYSIS OF DO-SUPPORT IN QUESTION FORMATION IN THE ENGLISH INTERLANGUAGE GRAMMAR

Abstract

Generative Second Language Acquisition (GenSLA) is an approach to studying second language acquisition based on the works of Chomsky (1957; 1981; 1995; 2008), in which its potential application in language education has not been widely recognized. In the present study, we use traditional and analytical methods to describe and analyze the application of Do-support in question formation in the English interlanguage grammar (ILG) within the framework of GenSLA. We selected 20 beginner learner informants to judge the grammaticality/acceptability of 16 stimuli. The results suggest that the ILG of the learner-informants is characterized by the following grammatical features in relation to the operation Do-support: (i) the application of Do-support is not obligatory in the interlanguage grammar, (ii) when Do-support applies, the dummy Do and the main verb must agree in tense, and (iii) the generative analysis has shown that these grammatical properties can be accounted for by the under specification and the non-projection of functional categories, CP (Complementizer Phrase) and AuxP (Auxiliary Phrase), respectively. These results agree with the theory of Modulated Structure Building of Hawkins (2001), which states that functional categories are not directly transferred from L1 but instead are acquired and gradually integrated into the grammatical system, which is interlanguage grammar (ILG).