The Role of Semantic Factors in the Acquisition of English Articles

Abstract

This study examines the roles of semantic factors in the acquisition of English articles by Korean secondary school students. First, this study shows that semantic feature specificity plays a role in the acquisition of the indefinite article a and the zero article ø. Second, it shows that different uses of the definite article the present different levels of difficulty for Korean students of English. Third, noun countability is shown to affect L2-English learners' article choice, while the structural factor, modification, is not. Overall, this research reveals that Korean secondary school students' acquisition of English articles is nonrandom, and it implies that Universal Grammar is relevant for L2 acquisition of English articles by Korean secondary school students whose L1 lacks articles. Finally, this study presents some pedagogical implications for teaching L2 English articles.