OS UNIVERSAIS TIPOLÓGICOS E A AQUISIÇÃO DAS ORAÇÕESRELATIVAS EM INGLÊS COMO L2

by Silveira Caballero, Vera Lúcia

This study aims to investigate how the relative clauses are processed by Portuguese speakers learning English as L2, according to typological universal theories, such as the Noun Phrase Accessibility Hierarchy ? NPAH - by Keenan & Comrie (1977), the Markedness Differential Hypothesis ? MDH ? by Eckman (1985), the Implicational Generalization Hypothesis ? IGH ? by Hamilton (1994) and the Subject-Object Hierarchy ? SOH ? by Hamilton (1994).The research was conducted with a group of 25 students from Curso de Graduação em Letras at the Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões ? in Santo Ângelo/RS who were tested pre- and post-instruction on their relative constructions.The results were consistent with the ones resulting from other studies and showed that the Brazilian learners generalize the instruction they received on a more marked level in the NPAH to the lower levels; however this generalization is not maximal.