Current Projects
Third Language (L3) Transfer
It is well-known that an adult's native language serves as the initial state of L2 acquisition. However, in L3 acquisition, which previously acquired grammar(s) transfer is less clear. In recent years there has been an explosion of proposals seeking to capture this process. In my dissertation, I am examining the predictions of these models at two points in time: pre- and post-transfer.
Papers:
Brakovec, H. (Data collection completed). Third language transfer and development [Doctoral dissertation]. Indiana University, Bloomington. Planned completion Spring 2025.
Presentations:
Brakovec, H. (2024, July 3-6). Individual-level data and the property-by-property/wholesale transfer debate: The case of L1-English/L2-Spanish and French learners of L3 Mandarin [Poster presentation]. The 33rd Conference of the European Second Language Association (EuroSLA 33). Montpellier, France. See here for abstract.
Brakovec, H., Iverson, M., McGill, J., Schwartz, B. D., & Sprouse, R. A. (2024, May 2-4). The importance of individual data in L3 acquisition: A reanalysis of Mitrofanova, Leivada, and Westergaard (2023) [Paper presentation]. Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition 17 (GASLA-17). Champaign, IL, USA. See here for abstract. See here for slides.
Brakovec, H. (2024, May 2-4). How structural similarity and language use interact in the L3 ‘Grappling Period’ [Poster presentation]. Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition 17 (GASLA-17). Champaign, IL, USA. See here for abstract. See here for poster.
Brakovec, H. (2024, April 19-21). Third language transfer and the interaction of structural similarity and language use [Paper presentation]. 26th International Symposium on Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (ISTAL 26), Thessaloniki, Greece. See here for abstract. See here for slides.
Mechanisms of the Bilingual Advantage
Non-native language acquirers often have an easier time acquiring an L3 than those acquiring that same language as an L2, the so-called 'Bilingual Advantage'. What remains unclear is the cause(s) of this advantage. In my dissertation, I am examining the predictions of three hypotheses for the acquisition of case alternations (at the syntax-semantic interface) in Russian: specific previous language experience, general bilingual benefits, and the Cumulative Input Threshold Hypothesis.
Papers:
Brakovec, H. (Data collection completed). Third language transfer and development [Doctoral dissertation]. Indiana University, Bloomington. Planned completion Spring 2025.
Presentations:
Brakovec, H., & Sprouse, R. (2023, April 14-15). Mechanisms of the Bilingual Advantage: Testing acquisition of Russian case alternations [Paper presentation]. Purdue Linguistics Symposium, West Lafayette, IN, USA. See here for abstract. See here for slides.
Factors Affecting the Precision of L2 Phonolexical Encoding
Non-native language learners often display inaccurate lexical encoding of sounds, even when they have accurate perception. Some research suggests a role for orthography, but findings are still mixed as to whether orthography is beneficial, has no effect, or is detrimental. In a recent project, together with Isabelle Darcy (Indiana University, Bloomington), we examined what effect accent marks have on the accuracy of lexical encoding of mid-vowel contrasts in learners of Brazilian Portuguese (paper under review). See our preregistration here. In a follow-up study, we are addressing the role of position-based predictability of the Brazilian Portuguese mid vowels on the precision of storage in interaction with vocabulary size, discrimination ability, and orthographic transparency.
Presentations:
Darcy, I., & Brakovec, H. (2024, July 3-6). 1. Awareness of orthographic transparency benefits the lexical encoding of mid-vowel contrasts in Portuguese L2 words [Poster presentation]. The 33rd Conference of the European Second Language Association (EuroSLA 33). Montpellier, France. See here for abstract. See here for poster.
Brakovec, H., & Darcy, I. (2023, October 12-14). Learners with higher orthographic awareness lexically encode Portuguese vowel contrasts more precisely [Paper presentation]. Hispanic Linguistics Symposium 2023 (HLS 2023). Provo, UT, USA. See here for abstract. See here for slides.
Brakovec, H., & Darcy, I. (2023, September 6-8). Portuguese vowel contrasts are more precisely lexically encoded for learners with greater orthographic awareness [Paper presentation]. 14th Annual Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching (PSLLT). West Lafayette, IN, USA. See here for abstract. See here for slides.
Brakovec, H., & Darcy, I. (2023, July 13-14). Learners with greater orthographic awareness have more precise lexical encoding of Portuguese vowel contrasts [Paper presentation]. L2 Portuguese at Lancaster (L2P@L), Lancaster, UK. See here for abstract. See here for slides.
Russian Irrealis Genitive
The most prominent analysis of the Irrealis Genitive case alternation implicates a primary role of existential commitment and semantic type (i.e., property-type). Currently, I am examining the existential commitment analysis from an experimental perspective. Additionally, I am examining the potential explanatory power of a propositional/hidden clausal analysis with regard to proper names participating in the alternation.
Presentations:
Brakovec, H. (2023, August 24-26). The Russian genitive of negation and proper names: An argument for propositionalism [Paper presentation]. 18th Annual Meeting of the Slavic Linguistics Society (SLS-18), Bratislava, Slovakia. See here for abstract. See here for slides.
Brakovec, H. (2023, May 19-21). Experimental evidence for the role of existential commitment in the licensing of the genitive of negation [Paper presentation]. Formal Approaches to Slavic Linguistics 32 (FASL 32), Bloomington, IN, USA. See here for abstract. See here for slides.
Previous Projects
Regressive Transfer (L3 to L2)
While the majority of L3 acquisition research to date has focused on transfer from the L1 and L2 to the L3 (progressive transfer), much less research has investigated the transfer of properties from the L3 to the L2 and L1 (regressive transfer). In our work, we found what appears to be regressive transfer effects in agreement, an area of (morpho-)syntax without previous evidence of regressive transfer.
Presentations:
Sprouse, R., Adams, M., Aguilar Perez, A., Brakovec, H., Cherici, A., Daniel, K., McClure, H., McKenzie, H., & Smith, S. (2020, October 23-25). Overgeneralization, L2-vulnerability, and L3 acquisition of Italian perfect participle agreement [Paper presentation]. Second Language Research Forum, Nashville, TN, USA. See here for abstract. See here for slides.