Thirty years of studying lexical aspect in L2 acquisition: Moving towards an expansive research agenda

• In this article, I propose that the analysis of the effect of lexical aspect on the representation of tense-aspect meanings among second/third language (L2/L3) beginning learners is not the most informative period of the various stages of acquisition of the Lexical Aspect Hypothesis (LAH). This conclusion is based on the analysis of two important points that have not been properly integrated into a revised agenda of the study of the acquisition of tense-aspect systems as L2/L3. • First, I highight the fact that empirical findings show that lexical aspect (whether represented as inherent lexical semantics or input distributional frequencies) will reach its maximum influence on the selection of morphological aspect at the intermediate and advanced stages of acquisition (not during the beginning stages as proposed by the LAH). I further propose that this is theoretically important because it clearly signals the direction of learning of the L2/L3 system. • Second, I argue that once that peak of use of prototypical pairings of lexical aspect and grammatical aspect is achieved, learners are faced with a challenge: how to transition from a representational system of aspect based primarily on distributional biases to another one in which the conceptualization of aspect is expanded to include the notion of viewpoint aspect (i.e., the speakers' intended meaning). This transition from one theoretical construct of aspect to another constitutes a challenge for L2/L3 learners, even the ones with typologically related L1s.