L1 English Learners’ Grammaticality Judgments of the Korean Negative Polarity Item ‘amudo’

This study investigates the acquisition of negation in complex sentences among L1 English learners of Korean, focusing on the syntactic interaction between the negative polarity item 'amudo' and the negative marker 'an' in matrix and embedded clauses. Acceptability judgment data from native Korean speakers and Intermediate and advanced learners revealed significant group differences. Despite advanced learners approaching native-like patterns, persistent difficulties stemmed from cross-linguistic differences, notably the L1 transfer of English NPI sentences. These findings underscore the need for explicit instruction addressing the clausemate condition governing Korean NPIs to mitigate L1 interference and enhance pedagogical efficacy. (Ewha Womans University)