Elisa Sorrenti

• Much research on first language (L1) acquisition carried out in the last decades has proven that language acquisition is based on a biological endowment, the language faculty, which is triggered by the exposure to linguistic data. The language acquisition process undergoes similar stages in the same time span, independently of the specific language. Non-native acquisition differs from L1 acquisition, as the speaker already has an internal grammar with all parameters set. Transfer should therefore take place, bringing the learner to analyse theMuch research on first language (L1) acquisition carried out in the last decades has proven that language acquisition is based on a biological endowment, the language faculty, which is triggered by the exposure to linguistic data. The language acquisition process undergoes similar stages in the same time span, independently of the specific language. Non-native acquisition differs from L1 acquisition, as the speaker already has an internal grammar with all parameters set. Transfer should therefore take place, bringing the learner to analyse the new input according to the properties of the L1, but a reanalysis is possible because of the availability of UG (Schwartz/Sprouse 1996). This article explores a syntactic domain, namely the properties of the functional categories constraining the verb position in main and subordinate clauses, by means of empirical data from Italian L1-speakers acquiring German as a second language (L2). It will be shown that the interlanguage grammars reflect properties of L1 and that resetting can be achieved, although optionality still exists and full convergence to the target language cannot be guaranteed.…