LIPSKY ANGELA

This paper reports the findings of a developmental study on the use of articles by four Japanese learners of German. The study is based on spontaneous oral productions collected at three points in time (prior to their departure, after their first and their second semester of study abroad in Germany) and investigates the accuracy of the use of definite and indefinite articles. The data analyses reveal that persistent article omission appears to be a common feature of the learner languages. In addition, the accuracy of verb position was analysed in order to address the debate on developmental stages in grammar acquisition. The paper raises the question whether similarities and interindividual variability in the four learners’ development can be accounted for in terms of developmental stages or whether we need to adopt a dynamic systems view based on the assumption of individual developmental paths.