Research Interests:
- Models of second and third language acquisition
- Structure and history of the languages of Western Europe (Germanic, Romance, Celtic) and Turkic languages
- Syntactic theory
- Language contact
I am probably best known in the field of non-native language acquisition for my three-decade collaboration work with Professor Bonnie D. Schwartz of the University of Hawai‘i.
I am also interested in investigating the role of principles of Universal Grammar in the acquisition of non-native phonology. In joint work with Professor Öner Özçelik of Indiana University, I have examined the acquisition “non-canonical” vowel harmony in English-Turkish interlanguage.
In the last couple of years, I have also turned my attention to models of third language acquisition
Beyond the field of nonnative language acquisition, I maintain interest in general linguistic theory (both syntax and phonology) and in comparative and diachronic morpho-syntax and phonology, with a special focus on the languages of Western Europe (Germanic, Romance, Celtic) and the Turkic languages. Current projects include investigation of nominal phrases (DPs/NPs) in Germanic and Turkic languages and exploration of how shifts in mainstream syntactic theories have impacted on generative nonnative language acquisition research.
I regularly teach graduate courses on non-native language acquisition, linguistic typology, and (on loan to the Department of Linguistics) historical linguistics, while my undergraduate teaching is primarily focused on a course introducing international students to “the American experience.”
An additional research topic for Professor Sprouse is the role on multilingualism in morpho-syntactic change.
Courses Taught:
- Current Research in Second Language Acquisition
- Dead Languages Come Alive
- English Grammar and Second Language Acquisition
- Introduction to the American Experience for International Students
- Introduction to Historical Linguistics
- Language Typology
- Second Language Syntax
- Seminar in Applied Linguistics
Research Interests:
- Models of second and third language acquisition
- Structure and history of the languages of Western Europe (Germanic, Romance, Celtic) and Turkic languages
- Syntactic theory
- Language contact
Research Interests: second language acquisition; languages of Europe; syntactic theory
Expertise:
- Austria
- Bilingual
- Linguistics
- Scandinavia and Nordic
