Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Research Background and Significance
The passive voice plays a key role in the English grammar, for it runs throughthe whole process of English learning. Therefore, it becomes a hot issue for theresearchers, and many researchers have gained a lot of achievements, most of whichare concerned with the comparison between Chinese and English, error analysis aswell as the corpus study.
Markedness Theory, first put forward by N. Trubetzkoy and R. Jakobson inPrague School in 1931，is the study of asymmetric phenomena in one languagecategory. The theory has a long history in its origin and development, and theapplication of the theory has been extended from the asymmetry of phonology, to thestudy of morphology, syntax, semantics as well as pragmatics. Scholars at home andabroad have contributed a lot to its development. Based on the previous studies ofMarkedness Theory, the asymmetric phenomenon of English passive voice hasn'tbeen given enough attention and studies on this aspect are not satisfactory. Therefore,there will be a bright future if the Markedness Theory is used to explore the passivevoice of English. The study is undertaken to find out the influence of MarkednessTheory on the acquisition of passive voice of English. In this chapter, the researchbackground and significance, research purposes, and organization of the thesis will bepresented.
In recent years, some researchers devoted to the second language acquisition areapplication of Markedness Theory to such studies asCe
1.2 Research Purposes
Lconcentrating onacquisition order,difficulty of second language learning as well as thelanguage transfer. But the studies focusing on the acquisition of passive voice withinthe framework of the Markedness Theory are far from enough. Based on the previousstudies, this thesis tries to explore the acquisition of passive voice from theperspective of Markedness Theory, which on one hand, can confirm the MarkednessTheory, and on the other hand, can promote the English voice teaching and learning1.2 Research PurposesThe thesis tries to probe the prediction of Markedness Theory in the passivevoice acquisition. There are three research questions to be investigated:1)During the acquisition of English voice, is the acquisition of marked voice moredifficult to learn than that of unmarked voice?2) Is there any difference in difficulty when the beginners use high marked form andlow marked form of English passive voice?3) What factors contribute to the difficulty in passive voice acquisition?
1.3 Organization of the Thesis
The thesis consists of six chapters. Chapter One is a brief introduction to thecurrent study, composing of the research background and significance, researchpurposes, and organization of the thesis.
Chapter Two is an overview of the previous studies on the passive voiceincluding the definition of passive voice as well as the studies at home and abroad.
Chapter Three is the theoretical framework of the study, in which theMarkedness Theory and Error Analysis are summarized.
Chapter Four is the methodology of the current study, which consists of thefollowing parts: the research questions, subjects, research instruments, data collectionand data analysis.
Chapter Five is the results and discussion part, which constitutes the main bodyof the study. This chapter discusses the acquisition of passive voice among middleschool students and the contributing factors to the difficulty in passive voice learning.
Chapter Six is the conclusion part, including the major findings of the study,pedagogical implications, limitations as well as the suggestions for the furtherresearch.
References
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从标记理论的视角研究初中学生被动语态的习得
内容提要 4-5
Abstract 5
Chapter 1 Introduction 8-10
1.1 Research Background and Significance 8-9
1.2 Research Purposes 9
1.3 Organization of the Thesis 9-10
Chapter 2 Literature Review 10-15
2.1 Defining Passive Voice 10-12
2.2 Previous Studies of Passive Voice of English 12-15
Chapter 3 Theoretical Basis 15-31
3.1 Markedness Theory 15-27
3.1.1 Trubetzkoy’s Theory of Markedness Theory 15-17
3.1.2 Jakobson’s Theory of Markedness Theory 17-20
3.1.3 Chomsky’s Theory of Markedness Theory 20-26
3.1.4 Criteria for Markedness Judgment 26-27
3.2 Error Analysis 27-31
Chapter 4 Methodology 31-35
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Chapter 5 Results and Discussion 35-53
5.1 Acquisition of Passive Voice 35-38
5.2 Acquisition of Regular and Irregular Passive Voice 38-45
5.3 Factors Contributing to the Difficulty in Passive Voice Acquisition 45-53
5.3.1 The Priority of Cognitive Order 45-48
5.3.2 Salience of Cognition 48-49
5.3.3 Economic Motivation 49-51
5.3.4 Other Factors 51-53
Chapter 6 Conclusions 53-58
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