The Acquisition of the Dative Alternation by Second Language Learners and Linguistic Theory

The research discussed in this paper attempts to demonstrate that evidence based on the acquisition of dative structures in English by second language learners provides support for a theory of markedness. Within this theory, it is claimed that unmarked structures, which are postulated to be part of core grammar, will be acquired before marked structures, which are considered to be peripheral rules of the core grammar. Using a test that elicited intuitive judgements, we obtained data from native French‐speaking and Inuktitut‐speaking (Eskimo) students as well as native English‐speaking students whose judgements were used as the norm. Dative structures in which the dative noun phrase appears either in a prepositional phrase or as the first noun phrase of a double object construction were tested. Within the framework of markedness we assume, it is argued that the former represents the unmarked structure whereas the latter is the marked one. The results we obtained show that the unmarked structures were acquired first as predicted and the marked structures followed. The theoretical implications of markedness regarding learnability of the complement structures of alternating and nonalternating dative verbs are discussed.