Accounting for asymmetries in cleft sentence use

Abstract

Cleft constructions exhibit variations in their frequency of usage, influenced by different constraints and preferences at various levels, such as syntax or function. Additionally, these constraints and purposes may differ across languages. This study aims to clarify the factors influencing the use of cleft constructions among speakers of two closely related languages, Italian and French. By analyzing the behaviors of native speakers, we also formulate hypotheses regarding how these factors manifest in the speech of second language (L2) learners of these languages. Our findings highlight a difference in how native speakers handle the functional parameter in the use of clefts, with Italian speakers (but not French speakers) distinguishing between identification and correction. The linguistic proximity between Italian and French facilitates the acquisition of this complex structure among learners. However, other factors contribute to differing receptions of asymmetries in L2, including acquisitional phenomena such as the predominance of communicative need and the difficulty in incorporating the functional parameter.

Keywords

• cleft constructions
• information structure
• second language acquisition
• cross-l
• Romance