An Investigation into the Influence of Lexical Aspect on EFL Learners' Use of Temporal Morphology

動詞語意在英語學習者時態詞素發展上之影響調查

10.6989/JN.201112.0285

李慧嫺(Hui-Hsien Lee)；王冰如(Pin-Ju Wang)

時貌假設 ； 時態（貌）詞素 ； morpheme study ； aspect hypothesis ； temporal expressions

南亞學報

31期（2011 / 12 / 01）

285 - 304

英文

1970年代以來，外語學習者在時態（貌）詞素上的發展與習得一直是從事語言教學者的研究重點。語言學習者實際使用時態（貌）的狀況，無論正確與否，對於教學方法的設置，有其舉足輕重的地位。因此本研究的目的在於調查動詞字尾詞素-ed與-ing的分佈是否符合時貌假設的預測，以此可作為發展中時態系統的參照與指標。參與本研究的受測者共有105位主修英語的大學生。學生必須完成一項寫作任務，所得資料藉由時貌組內及跨組統計方式加以分析。分析結果指出受試者在使用動詞字尾詞素-ed與-ing時，的確符合時貌假設的預測。根據上述的發現研究者提出教學建議。

Since the 1970s, the investigation into how L2 learners acquire the tense and aspect morphology has been the focus of many descriptive and pedagogical accounts of languages. It is suggested that knowledge of how learners actually use the tense-aspect forms could contribute to the implementation and effectiveness of pedagogical implementations. Hence, the purpose of the study is to investigate whether the distributions of verbal inflections -ed and -ing were in accord with the predictions of Aspect Hypothesis since they are an indicator of the developing temporal system.Participants were 105 English majors from two universities and one institute of technology in northern Taiwan. They were asked to carry out a narrative writing task. Data were analyzed by means of across and within category analyses. The results indicate that learners' use of verbal inflections -ed and -ing were in general in line with the predictions of aspect hypothesis. On the basis of the findings, pedagogical implications are provided.