The Null Subject Parameter and the Head Parameter in Adult SLA : A Study of Japanese and Chinese Learners of English

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate whether there were differences in SLA (second language acquisition) between learners with different language backgrounds, specifically Japanese and Chinese learners of English, and to investigate the effect of the two parameter types upon SLA, i.e. the null subject parameter and the head parameter. This study also investigated the relationship between the different proficiency levels (low, intermediate, and advanced) and the use of the two parameter types in SLA for both Japanese and Chinese groups. The main conclusion of this study was that the differences in second language learning (SLL) for Japanese and Chinese college students could not be explained from the viewpoint of parameters.