Are postverbal subjects difficult to eliminate from the L2 English of L1 speakers of Romanian?

Abstract

"The availability of post-verbal subjects in non-canonical sentences is one of the properties which distinguish between non null-subject languages, like English, and consistent null-subject languages, like Romanian. L2 learning studies provide conflicting results with respect to whether native speakers of a null-subject language can fully eliminate ungrammatical postverbal subjects from their L2 English. The aim of this paper is to investigate if postverbal subjects are difficult to eliminate from the L2 English of L1 speakers of Romanian. The main results show that postverbal subjects are no longer accepted by L1 Romanian advanced and proficient learners of L2 English. However, intermediate learners accept significantly more postverbal subjects with unaccusative verbs than the other two groups. These results are in line with the Interface Hypothesis and the Full Transfer/Full Access Model."