In the following, the phenomenon ‘do-support’ will be explained as well as the history of its development. Furthermore, the linguistic concepts in which ‘do-support’ appears will be presented and why this paper focuses on ‘do-support’ in questions and answers. Our study shows how our hypotheses have been proven right and the elicitation methods investigated will be explained in detail. In the presentation and interpretation of our results will follow a short overview of related linguistic themes that appeared in the study.
Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION
- MAIN PART
- I. The linguistic phenomenon, 'do-support'
- II. History of 'do-support'
- III. The study
- III.1 Elicitation methods
- III. 2 Results of the study - description and interpretation
- III.3 How can the results be used in teaching 'do-support' to beginners?
- CONCLUSION
Objectives and Key Themes
This study aims to investigate the challenges German learners of English face when encountering the grammatical phenomenon of 'do-support'. The research focuses on how learners at the beginner level deal with 'do-support' in English, particularly in the context of negation and interrogation.
- The linguistic phenomenon of 'do-support' and its historical development
- The role of Scandinavian influence on the development of 'do-support' in English
- The challenges faced by German learners in using 'do-support' in negation and interrogation
- The effectiveness of elicitation methods, specifically production and grammaticality judgment, in assessing learner proficiency
- The implications of the study's findings for teaching 'do-support' to beginners
Chapter Summaries
The introduction provides the context for the study, highlighting the significance of 'do-support' as a common challenge for German learners of English. It outlines the two main hypotheses guiding the research: (1) 'do-support' poses a difficulty for German learners, particularly at the beginner level; and (2) learners struggle more with production than with grammaticality judgment due to their ongoing acquisition of English grammar.
Chapter I delves into the linguistic phenomenon of 'do-support,' explaining its function as an auxiliary verb for negation, interrogation, ellipsis, and emphasis. It discusses the grammatical role of 'do' as a 'dummy' verb, emphasizing its importance in constructing grammatically correct sentences in English.
Chapter II examines the historical development of 'do-support' in English, highlighting its evolution from Old English, which lacked the modern 'do-support' construction. The chapter traces the influence of Scandinavian Old Norse on Old English, leading to changes in verb inflection and the emergence of 'do' as an auxiliary verb.
Chapter III details the study's design and execution. It describes the elicitation methods used: production and grammaticality judgment. The chapter also discusses the target population of 80 German grammar school pupils between the ages of 12 and 14, who represent the beginner level of English acquisition.
Keywords
The key themes and concepts explored in this research include 'do-support,' auxiliary verbs, negation, interrogation, grammaticality judgment, production, learner challenges, historical linguistics, Old English, Old Norse, Scandinavian influence, and English language acquisition.
- Quote paper
- Janina Madlener (Author), 2014, The Phenomenon of "do-support", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/415672
