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This dissertation investigates the Interface Hypothesis, a theory of second language acquisition which suggests that second language (L2) speakers will have trouble processing on linguistic interfaces (Sorace & Filiaci, 2006). Linguistic interfaces are areas where speakers must integrate multiple forms of grammatical information, for example, syntax and semantics, or syntax and pragmatics. Previous investigations of the Interface Hypothesis have primarily manipulated null and overt pronouns (Sorace & Filiaci, 2006; Sorace et al., 2009) and determiners (Serratrice et al., 2009) among other grammatical structures.
The current investigation manipulates negative polarity items, items such as the words ever and any in English which are grammatical in negative or non-positive environments. Given their unique licensing mechanisms, or the linguistic mechanisms by which NPIs are made grammatical, they sit on multiple linguistic interfaces, such as the syntax-semantics, syntax-pragmatics, and semantics-pragmatics interfaces. Therefore, they are an ideal structure through which to investigate the Interface Hypothesis.
The current investigations employed three methods, namely a grammaticality judgment task, a self-paced reading task, and an event-related potential (ERP) investigation. The current investigation sought to understand whether first language (L1) Spanish second language (L2) English speakers are sensitive to negative polarity items, whether the environment in which NPIs are licensed modulates their sensitivity, and whether participants' pragmatic competency modulates their performance across the three methods.
To foreshadow, results indicate that L2 speakers are sensitive to negative polarity items, but that their licensing environment does not appear to modulate their sensitivity, which is comparable to first language English speakers. Moreover, participants' pragmatic competency in neither the L1 nor the L2 group modulates their performance across tasks.