Abstract

This thesis reports findings from a cross-sectional study of the second language (L2) acquisition of the Japanese locative particles 'ni', 'de', and 'e', features that are polysemous, not salient, and can be omitted in informal speech (Aida, 1993). Although each particle is associated with separate spatial relationships---'ni'/existence, 'de'/location of action and 'e'/direction---there is semantic overlap: 'ni' also indicates direction, and is required to link actions with directions, or if 'actions' are state-like (habitual). Its 'existence' function does not however extend to special events, which are marked by 'de'. The polysemous nature of Japanese particles allows for the investigation of two factors thought to play roles in L2 acquisition. One is the use of prototypes to establish core meanings (Taylor, 2003). Also, because spatial relationships are expressed differently across languages, first language (L1) influence (Inagaki, 2002) may be an important factor