On the Relationship between Linear Proximity and Subject Verb Agreement Mismatch in Korean L2 Learners of English

This paper claims that not only linear proximity but also other various factors including structural and semantic composition of the subject NP can affect the subject-verb agreement (SVA) mismatch in L2 learning of English. Based on the previous researches on both experimental and theoretical studies on language, this paper proposes that what is genuinely responsible for the SVA mismatch due to proximity is actually a reflection of the multiple activation of potential subject NPs. This multiple activation is claimed to be the source of confusion, of which the notion has been found to be true on the side of previous experimental studies. This paper conducted two ERP experiments to see whether proficient Korean L2 learners of English also experience the same confusion in the case of SVA mismatch as L1. One is to see whether a more proximate NP also exerts an influence on agreement in L2 setting as has been known to be the case in L1. The other is to see whether L2 speakers take into consideration for agreement the semantic or pragmatic closeness between the head noun and the relevant potential NP. Through Experiment 1, it was found that proficient Korean L2 learners of English showed a LAN as well as a late P600 effect, which evidences that L2 learners are also experiencing the confusion due to the multiple activation of potential subject NPs. Experiment 2, however, gave no clue of outright semantic influence on the SVA mismatch, but a marginal P600 was found when they met a false form of the verb be. This means that semantic/pragmatic factors do not exert an influence on determining the agreement verb form, but some process of syntactic reanalysis may be in operation in L2 learning.