• Title/Summary/Keyword: Universal Grammar

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An MP Interpretation of EFL Learners′ Linguistic Behaviour

  • Kang, Ae-Jin
    • Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics
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    • v.4 no.1
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    • pp.33-60
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    • 2004
  • This study was an attempt to present an appropriate way of interpreting L2 learners' linguistic behavior within Universal Grammar (UG) framework. Based on the Korean EFL adult learners' performance on the Subjacency violation sentences, the study suggested that the EFL learners are able to acquire subtle knowledge of target grammar and their linguistic behavior should be interpreted with the most recent version of UG theory, the Minimalist Program (MP) notion. The MP notion seems more plausible to accommodate incomplete L2 grammar while acknowledging UG-constrained interlanguage which the previous version, Principles and Parameters (P&P) approach, could not explain very well. The study observed no age-effects among the Korean EFL learners in their linguistic competence measured by the performance on the UG-constraint violation sentences. Having suggested that the MP notion can be a more reasonable tool to explain the EFL learners' linguistic behavior, the study introduced comprehensive hypotheses such as Constructionist Model (CM) and the Ontogeny Phylogeny Model (OPM).

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Korean Learners' Development of English Passive Constructions

  • Park, Hye-Sook
    • English Language & Literature Teaching
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.199-216
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    • 2009
  • This study investigates how Korean speakers develop their interlanguage of English passive constructions with a reference to the learners' grammar proficiency levels. Sixty two college students of different levels of English participated in this study. They were asked to complete a sentence-completion task. Their production was classified into accurate passives, malformed passives, pseudo-passives, unaccusatives, and actives according to the use of transitive, ergative and unergative verbs. They then were further analyzed depending on the subjects' levels of grammar by three main factors: L1 transfer, the English voice system, and universal cognitive factors. The results showed that the subjects of the lower group produced more pseudo-passives, malformed passives, and overpassivization than those of the higher group, and even subjects of higher group still made passives for ergative verbs. It was also shown that L1 and universal factors had more influence on the lower group than on the higher group. Based on the analyses of the subjects' responses, the development of the English passive system by Korean learners is shown and some implications are suggested for effective teaching of English.

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The First Language Acquisition of Relative Clauses in Korean: Continuity of the Principles of Universal Grammar in First Language Acquisition (한국(韓國) 아동(兒童)의 관계절 습득 연구 - 보편문법(普遍文法) 언어원리(言語原理)의 지속적(持續的) 언어습득(言語習得) 이론(理論)을 중심으로 -)

  • Lee, Kwee Ock
    • Korean Journal of Child Studies
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.125-138
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    • 1992
  • The purpose of the present study was to examine the development of embedding through relative clause formation in the first language acquisition of Korean. Results are reported from the study of the spantaneous natural speech of 36 young Korean children ranging from 16 months to 45 months in age acquiring Korean as their first language in Chinju, Korea. The results revealed a developmental order in the first language acquisition of Korean relative clause structures. Namely, a free or headless relative clause appears to be acquired first, before lexically headed restrictive relative construction. This order is consistent with one evidenced in English (and also Chinese) first language acquisition, 'free' relatives appear to provide a developmentally early stage in the acquisition of restrictive relative clauses. The Korean data provided additional evidence for an intermediary stage with an overt complementizer as well as an overt lexical head. Implications for the results are disscused with regard to a continuous theory of universal grammar in the first language acquisition.

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An Analysis of Syntactic and Semantic Relations between Negative Polarity Items and Negatives in Korean. (결합범주문법을 이용한 한국어 부정극어와 부정어의 통사 및 의미적 관계 분석)

  • 김정재;박정철
    • Language and Information
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    • v.8 no.1
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    • pp.53-76
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    • 2004
  • Negative polarity items(NPIs), which function as quantifiers are licensed in a syntactically strict way by negatives, which function as qualifiers, resulting in universal negating interpretations as pairs. We present a proposal to explain the related phenomena, in which the syntax and the semantics are closely related to each other, with Combinatory Categorial Grammar. For this purpose, we first adopt the usual approach to scrambling, but control its overgeneration with the use of markers, taking into account the complex syntactic phenomena involving NPIs and scrambling in Korean. We also propose to utilize polarity intensity as a novel feature, in order to account for the universal negating interpretations when NPIs are combined with negatives. Our proposal also explains the difference in readings when other quantifiers or qualifiers intervene the NPI and the related negatives.

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English Floating Quantifiers and Lexical specification of Quantifier Retrieval

  • Yoo, Eun-Jung
    • Language and Information
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    • v.5 no.1
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    • pp.1-15
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    • 2001
  • Floating quantifiers(FQs) in English exhibit both universal and language specific proper- ties This paper discusses how such syntactic and semantic characteristics can be explained in terms of a constraint-based, lexical approach to the floating quanti- fer construction within the framework of Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar(HPSG). Based on the assumption and FQs are base-generated VP modifiers, this paper proposes and account in which the semantic contribution of FQs consists of a "lexically retrieved" universal quantifier taking scope over the VP meaning.P meaning.

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A Study of Digital Game Grammar (디지털 게임의 장르 문법 연구 -FPS 장르를 중심으로-)

  • Lee, Dong Eun
    • Journal of Korea Game Society
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    • v.15 no.2
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    • pp.7-18
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    • 2015
  • The aims of this study are to theorize genre convention of the digital games and to draw digital game genre grammar. This study verified the need for game genre and derives FPS Game genre grammar in six features. There is a formulation of the genre theory of meaning to academic researchers who studies digital games. And game designers to provide universal principles of a specific genre that is meaningful. As well as this study found that game play through the convergence of different media genres and the new format of storytelling or do it the potential to generate content may also be expected.

Logic as grammar: Wittgenstein’s view of logic (문법으로서의 논리 ― 비트겐슈타인의 논리관 ―)

  • Lee, Young-Chul
    • Korean Journal of Logic
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    • v.11 no.2
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    • pp.57-91
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    • 2008
  • In accordance with his belief that philosophical problems arise from misunderstandings of the logic of our language, Wittgenstein's philosophical investigations were always focused on the problems of logic of language. Indeed, it can be said that his investigations were logical investigations. But what was the logic as conceived by him? He regarded logic as grammar from the beginning, but between his two different philosophical periods, there were important changes in his conceptions of grammar. In his earlier period, he understood the logic of language as the truth-functional syntax realizable in an ideal notation, while in his later period he regarded logic as the rules of language-use in various language games. It was a change from viewing logic as an ideally strict and universal system in which every logical possibilities are determined to viewing logic as an open system of non-strict grammatical rules specific to each language game. This paper deals with the gists of his earlier and later views on logic and the reasons for the change of his views, including specifically the reasons for the change of his views concerning the autonomy and necessity of logic as grammar.

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The critical period in Korean EFL contexts and UG (한국인 EFL 학습자의 결정적 시기와 보편문법)

  • Hahn, Hye-Ryeong
    • English Language & Literature Teaching
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    • no.6
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    • pp.219-239
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    • 2000
  • There has been a growing enthusiasm in Korea for the early education of English as a foreign language (EFL). The present study examined the validity of the Critical Period Hypothesis in terms of the Universal Grammar (UG), in three different types of learning contexts - first language (L1), second language (SL), and foreign language (FL) learning contexts. While previous research findings in L1 and SL learning contexts suggest that UG principles and parameters are accessible to language learners only for the early years of lifetime, this article argues that their results - and even the methods - cannot be applied to EFL settings and that independent studies on the EFL context are, required. It also proposes the recent UG notion of functional categories as the most appropriate subject in the discussion of Korean EFL learners' access to UG. Findings on foreign language contexts, including the author's own, strongly indicate that UG is not sensitive to learners' starting ages in FL settings. If young children in FL contexts cannot develop their interlanguage grammar based on UG, the existing teaching methods for young children should be revised.

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Parameter. Subset Principle, and the Acquisition of Korean Reflexive Anaphora (매개변항, 부분집합원리, 재귀대명사습득)

  • Cho, Sook-Whan
    • Annual Conference on Human and Language Technology
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    • 1989.10a
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    • pp.296-301
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    • 1989
  • 본 논문의 목적은 매개변항(parameter)과 부분집합원리(subset principle)를 재귀대명사 구조분석 및 습득에 적용하여 보편문법(Universal Grammar)과 언어습득의 상호관계를 검토하는 데에 있다. 본 논문은 첫째, 재귀대명사 '자기'를 매개변항이론에 근거하여 분석하고, 둘째, 재귀사의 구조를 부분집합원리에 적용하여 '자기'의 습득과정을 관찰한다. 본 논문의 목적을 위해 두 가지 가설을 세워 실험적으로 검증하였다. 실험결과, 선행사자격 습득단계의 가설이 확증되었으며, 지배변항 습득단계의 가설은 결정적 증거가 미비해 앞으로의 과제로 남아 있다.

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Korean EFL Learners영 Acquisition of English Inflectional Features. (한국인 영어 학습자의 영어 굴절 자질 습득)

  • 양현권
    • Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics
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    • v.2 no.2
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    • pp.227-248
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    • 2002
  • This paper reviews current developments in UG-related SLA·FLL research. It discusses the findings of Hahn (2000), Shin (2000) and Yang (2001) with respect to the following issues: the role of UG parameters in SLA·FLL and the developmental aspects of inflectional categories in Korean EFL learners' interlanguage. It contends that Korean EFL learners' inflectional grammars are constrained by L1 as well as by Universal Grammar.

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