| The world today is characterized by linguistic diversity and cultural integration.In third language acquisition research,cross-linguistic influence has been studied for a long time with fruitful results.In recent years,the research enthusiasm of domestic academics continues to increase in the field of third language acquisition and even in multi-language acquisition.However,there are few studies on the cross-linguistic influence in SVO word order learning of simple sentences for French learning beginners whose native language is Chinese and second language is English.In simple sentences,when objects distinguish between nouns and pronouns,the word order similarities between Chinese,English and French are significantly different,which,to a considerable extent,affects the word order acquisition of French simple sentences.Based on the reasons above,this thesis investigates the cross-linguistic influence in the word order learning of French simple sentences and further explores the factors of cross-linguistic influence,and puts forward some pedagogical implications to improve the effect of French teaching and learning in our country.This research chooses French(as a second foreign language)beginning learners in domestic universities as research objects to investigate the following three research questions:(1)What are the cross-linguistic similarities concerning the word orders in simple sentences in Chinese,English and French?(2)What is the cross-linguistic influence in the word order acquisition of French simple sentences?(3)What are the key factors in the word order acquisition of French simple sentences?The author of this dissertation consults literature works on cross-linguistic influence in third language acquisition,compares the basic word order features of simple sentences in Chinese,English and French,and makes explanations from the perspective of linguistic typology.Then,qualitative and quantitative paradigms are applied to collect research data.A questionnaire survey is conducted among 122 French learners to shed a light on their language learning background and their cognition of cross-linguistic similarities;sixty-two learners are tested to examine the acquisition of SVO word order in French simple sentences;six participants are selected by purposeful sampling method to engage in the semi-structured interview to further observe learners’ perception of cross-linguistic similarities and their actual cross-linguistic thinking patterns in the word order test.Finally,the results of questionnaire,test and interview are analyzed and discussed.Concerning the research questions,this thesis has the following findings.(1)Apart from the SVO word order,French and Chinese share the word order of SOV from the perspective of linguistic typology.Influenced by the principle of iconicity,“object ahead of verb” has been grammaticalized in Chinese and French.However,in English,the phenomenon of “object ahead of verb” has disappeared.The cross-linguistic similarity between languages is much more obvious in noun object sentences than that in pronoun object sentences.Second,for French learning beginners,both Chinese and English serve as the sources of cross-linguistic influence in French word order learning,and their promoting/positive and hindering/negative effects coexist.In the French word order output,the error rate for noun objects is pretty low,and the cross-linguistic influence is mainly positive.There are more errors for pronoun objects,and the influence is mainly presented as hindrance.Third,five factors are discussed,including language proficiency level,recency of language use,language learning hours,second language status and cross-linguistic similarity.The former three play an interactive role in French word order learning.Language learning hours and language proficiency are positively correlated with learning effect.There is no significant positive correlation between recency of use and French word order learning effect.Cross-linguistic similarity,transcending second language status,plays a prominent role in the word order learning of French simple sentences.Based on the research results,this thesis puts forward corresponding recommendations for French teaching and learning.On the premise of enhancing multilingual identity recognition and cross-language awareness,French teachers should optimize teaching strategies and methods.They should make full use of extracurricular time to supplement the knowledge of cross-linguistic similarities and add specific exercises related to word order.Besides,Formative assessment and summative evaluation should be effectively combined in word order teaching to cultivate learners’ cross-language awareness and improve French teaching efficiency.Meanwhile,learners should pay more attention to the self-cultivation of language awareness.They have to extend learning hours to internalize language knowledge and improve the effect of French learning. |
