WANNA CONTRACTION IN INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL JAPANESE LEARNERS OF ENGLISH

Abstract

This study investigates the use of wanna contraction by intermediate-level Japanese learners of English. Specifically, it examines whether these learners have access to the UG-specified constraints that restrict wanna contraction to certain structural contexts. In a production task (N=54), two types of wh-question sentences were elicited – those in which wanna contraction is licensed by UG-based constraints and those in which wanna contraction is disallowed. Although many participants (43%) overgeneralized their use of wanna to both question types, no participant was in complete violation of the constraints on wanna contraction. Furthermore, wanna contraction was produced more often in UG-licensed contexts than in illicit contexts. Although these findings do not clearly demonstrate access to UG-based wanna contraction constraints in intermediate-level Japanese learners of English, they suggest contextual differentiation that is consistent with these constraints.