The acquisition of locative inversion at the syntax-pragmatics interface by Chinese learners of English

Abstract This study investigated the acquisition of English locative inversion at the syntax-pragmatics interface by Chinese learners, and explored the factors for non-native performance within the framework of the Interface Hypothesis. A picture description test and a context-matching test were administered through an online questionnaire to 300 Chinese learners of English and twenty native speakers of English at a university in China. Follow-up interviews were conducted with thirty Chinese learners. Results showed that (1) compared with English natives, Chinese learners under-produced locative inversion, achieving native-like attainment until the advanced stage; (2) they also displayed a different preference pattern for locative inversion, converging to a native-like pattern by the advanced stage; (3) non-native performance in production was attributed to processing limitations and input frequency, while that in interpretation resulted from underspecification of form-function mapping, input frequency and contexts. The paper offers implications for syntax-pragmatics teaching and proposes future directions for L2 interface studies.