Abstract
This paper investigates the mechanisms of generalization and overgeneralization of no in Japanese noun phrases. Samples of spontaneous speech were collected longitudinally from one Chinesespeaking child and tvvo English-speaking children. The results show that in the case of the “NP + no + NP” structure, subjects did not produce no at the earliest stage, then they gradually came to produce no with the ungrammatical structure “NP + NP” Finally, they produced only correct structures. On the other hand, in the case of “AP + NP.” subjects' utterances without no were observed at the earliest stage, and later overgeneralized no appeared, and ultimately disappeared. The Chinese child produced overgeneralized no distinctively longer than the English-speaking children. From these results, it may be concluded that in the acquisition process of no, there are successive stages where second language (L2) learners first do not produce no, and then later start to produce it As this process can be seen in cases of first language (L1) acquisition, a similar mechanism could operate in both L1 and L2 acquisition of noun phrases. In order to acquire Japanese noun phrases, L2 learners learn the rule that no should be inserted only when the modifier is either a noun phrase or a posToositional phrase (i.e., “NO-insertion Rule”). One of the reasons why no is overgeneralized seems to be that L2 learners may adapt the rule to adjective phrases as well. In addition to the “NO-insertion Rule, ” L2 learners must learn the lexical features of the modifier nouns. As long as the L2 learners have not acquired the rule and the features of modifiers, errors such as overgeneralization and deletion of no will persist. The time required for learners to learn the rule will be influenced by Ll characteristics. Therefore, the duration of the stage in which learners produce the incorrect structures will depend upon those Li characteristics.
