Reflexive Pronouns in Second Language Acquisition
William O 'Grady · 2012
parameterized principles that apply to intricate tree-like syntactic representations. I call this assumption into question here by exploring an alternative processing-based approach to language learning. The key idea that I wish to put forward is that the successes and failures that characterize the various stages of first and second language acquisition are best explained in processing terms—an idea that I will explore here by focusing on the interpretation of reflexive pronouns. I will begin in the next section by illustrating how processing works in the sort of theory that I have in mind and how this approach might contribute to an account of pronoun interpretation in English and Japanese (section 3). I'll then turn my attention to how the analysis I propose can shed light on the emergence of interpretive strategies in the course of first and second language acquisition (sections 4 and 5, respectively). The paper ends with a brief set of concluding remarks.