| Chapter 1: | The Problem |
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Chapter 1
The Problem
Introduction
Sequencing and acquisition are, to a certain extent, intertwined with each other and cannot be separated since sequencing is an important element inherent in the acquisition process of a second language. It shows that in the process of acquiring a second language (L2), learners always progress step-by-step along identifiable stages in mastering specific grammatical structures or linguistic elements (R. Ellis, 1994). For instance, L2 learners have been consistently observed to master the grammatical form of Verb + ing before the grammatical form of Verb + ed. Another example is that the acquisition sequence of interrogatives for English as a Second Language (ESL) learners, as summarized by Larsen-Freeman and Long (1991), can be classified into the following four stages: Stage 1. Rising intonation, as in He work today?; Stage 2. Uninverted WH (+/– aux.), as in What he (is) saying?; Stage 3. Overinversion, as in Do you know where is it?;and Stage 4. Differentiation, as in Does she like where she lives?