Programm 79. StuTS

This paper investigates non-standard verb-third (V3) structures in L2 German and their role in learner language development within the framework of Processability Theory (cf. eg. Pienemann 1999), focusing on their position between canonical SVX order and target-like inversion. Drawing on the DAKODA dataset of learner texts (A1–C1) from multiple corpora, including MERLIN and DISKO (cf.eg. Ruppenhofer et al. 2024; Wisniewski et al. 2025), it analyzes 131 V3 and related structures both quantitatively and qualitatively. The study investigates structural patterns, the co-occurrence of V3 with successful inversion, and the influence of lexical and information-structural factors (cf. eg. Wiese et al 2020, 2022; Bunk/Gamper 2025). Preliminary results suggest that V3 sentences show systematic patterns, particularly a preference for light, often anaphoric elements (pronouns) and adverbial framesetters in the prefield. These findings support a functional interpretation of V3 as reflecting discourse-structural organization and suggest a potential lexical-structural motivation for multiply occupied prefields.

The title is is a quote from the MERLIN text 1061_0120376, accessible through ANNIS or merlin-platform.eu.

References
Bunk, Oliver / Gamper, Jana (2025). The V2 myth: Evidence for a functional motivation of V3 in L2 German from a self-paced reading study. In: Second Language Research, https://doi.org/10.1177/02676583251395863.
Wisniewski, Katrin / Zesch, Torsten, Portmann, Annette / Renker, Christine / Ruppenhofer, Josef / Schwendemann, Matthias (2025). DAKODA Infrastructure, https://dakoda.org/index.en.html [last access Jan 23rd 2026].
Pienemann, Manfred (1998). Language processing and second language development: Processability Theory. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Ruppenhofer, Josef / Portmann, Annette / Schwendemann, Matthias / Renker, Christine / Wisniewski, Katrin / Zesch, Torsten (2025). Where it’s at: Annotating Verb Placement Types in Learner Language. In: Proceedings of the 19th Linguistic Annotation Workshop (LAW-XIX-2025), 187–200.
Wiese, Heike / Öncü, Mehmet Tahir / Müller, Hans G. / Wittenberg, Eva. (2020). Verb Third in Spoken German: A Natural Order of Information? In: Wolfe, Sam / Woods, Rebecca (Hg.), Rethinking Verb Second. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 682-699.
Wiese, Heike / Alexiadou, Artemis / Allen, Shanley et al. (2022). heritage speakers as part of the native language continuum. In: Frontiers in Psychology 12, 1–19.

Info

Tag: 15.05.2026
Anfangszeit: 15:30
Dauer: 00:30
Raum: DOR 24 1.101
Track: Syntax
Sprache: en

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