Suzanne Flynn Explained

Suzanne Flynn
Birth Place:Cambridge, MA, USA
Professor of Foreign Languages and Linguistics
Awards:fellow of AAAS
Website:https://SFlynn.org
Alma Mater:Cornell University
Thesis Title:A Study of the Effects of Principal Branching Direction in Second Language Acquisition: The Generalization of a Parameter of Universal Grammar from First to Second Language Acquisition
Thesis Url:https://books.google.com/books?id=bwgkmgEACAAJ
Thesis Year:1984
Influences:Noam Chomsky, Samuel Epstein, Barbara Lust
Discipline:language acquisitionist, linguist
Sub Discipline:Bilingualism and multilingualism
Workplaces:Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Suzanne Flynn (June 30, 1950-) is an American linguist and Professor of Linguistics at MIT who has contributed to the fields of second and third language acquisition. She has also investigated language disorders.[1]

Research

Suzanne Flynn received her PhD from Cornell University in 1983. Her work has spanned from syntax and second-language acquisition of syntax to language processing in people with neurocognitive disorders, such as changes in language during the prodromal course in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.[2]

Early work

In 1987, Flynn published a book which explored second-language acquisition (SLA) of anaphora and offered a parametric model for acquisition of this property. In line with the reorganization of the linguistic field at that point, the book considered characterization of Universal Grammar (UG) as a set of subtheories, each with its set of central principles and parameters according to which a principle can vary between an unmarked ('-') and a marked ('+') parametric value.[3] At the same time, Flynn was one of the key SLA specialists to start the GASLA (Generative Approaches to Second-Language Acquisition) conference.[4]

In 1996, Flynn, along with S.D. Epstein and Gita Martohardjono published a seminal paper evaluating key debates in the SLA field at the time.[5] One of the most important questions was to what extent, if any, Universal Grammar constrains second language acquisition? At the moment, three hypotheses of SLA were articulated. The first one was the “no access” hypothesis that claims that no aspect of UG is available to the L2 learner. The second is the “partial access” hypothesis that claims that only LI instantiated principles and LI instantiated parameter-values of UG are available to the learner.[6] The third, called the “full access” hypothesis, asserts that UG in its entirety constrains L2 acquisition.[7] Flynn and co-authors argued for the "full access" hypothesis which remains a valid theory today and guides much of modern research.

From the early days of her work in SLA, Flynn has been a staunch proponent of principled approach to explaining processes which language acquisition involves. As such, she strongly advocates for strictly linguistic accounts of language acquisition within Chomskian tradition which are grounded in Minimalist Program and stem from our understanding of syntactic theory.[8]

Third language acquisition

In line with Flynn's earlier work on accessibility of the UG, she co-authored one of the first models of third language acquisition: The Cumulative-Enhancement Model (CEM).[9] The model argued that language learning is cumulative and all previous languages (i.e., the native language and the second language) can facilitate language learning. The model, notably, does not claim that previous languages exert an exclusively facilitative effect. On the contrary, the model allows for more than occasional interferences from previous languages while claiming that the acquisition process per se cannot be characterized through a deficit model or alike. The model has also been pointed out to be easily extendable to fourth language acquisition and beyond, which is not a feature most of the current models for L3 acquisition share. The CEM model stands in opposition to the so-called "wholesale" models of L3 acquisition (e.g. Typological Primacy Model[10] or L2 Status[11]).

Honors and distinctions

Flynn is co-founding editor (with Samuel D. Epstein) of the peer-reviewed journal Syntax.

Flynn was elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2019.[12] [13] Linguistic Society of America described her as "a leading researcher on syntax acquisition of children and adults in bilingual, second, and third language contexts".[14]

Selected bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Flynn. Suzanne. 11 March 2021. Google Scholar. 2021-03-11. scholar.google.com.
  2. Web site: SUTDPillarAdministrator. HASS Colloquium Series (Prof Suzanne Flynn) - Last In, First Out: Does Language Loss Reverse First Language Acquisition?. 2021-03-15. Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS). en-US.
  3. Book: A Parameter-Setting Model of L2 Acquisition. Suzanne Flynn. 2012. 978-90-277-2374-1. Studies in Theoretical Psycholinguistics. 5. Springer. en-gb. 10.1007/978-94-009-3747-5.
  4. Book: Flynn. Suzanne. The Generative Study of Second Language Acquisition. Martohardjono. Gita. O'Neil. Wayne. 2014-01-14. Psychology Press. 978-1-317-78065-6. en.
  5. Epstein. Samuel David. Flynn. Suzanne. Martohardjono. Gita. December 1996. Second language acquisition: Theoretical and experimental issues in contemporary research. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. en. 19. 4. 677–714. 10.1017/S0140525X00043521. 144054857 . 1469-1825.
  6. Eubank. Lynn. August 1993. On the Transfer of Parametric Values in L2 Development. Language Acquisition. 3. 3. 183–208. 10.1207/s15327817la0303_1. 1048-9223.
  7. Schwartz. Bonnie D.. Sprouse. Rex A.. 1996-01-01. L2 cognitive states and the Full Transfer/Full Access model. Second Language Research. en. 12. 1. 40–72. 10.1177/026765839601200103. 146199732. 0267-6583.
  8. Flynn. Suzanne. 2020-07-27. Microvariation in multilingual situations: The importance of property-by-property acquisition: Pros and cons. Second Language Research. 37. 3. 481–488. 10.1177/0267658320945761. 225495744. 0267-6583.
  9. Flynn. Suzanne. Foley. Claire. Vinnitskaya. Inna. 2004-01-01. The Cumulative-Enhancement Model for Language Acquisition: Comparing Adults' and Children's Patterns of Development in First, Second and Third Language Acquisition of Relative Clauses. International Journal of Multilingualism. 1. 1. 3–16. 10.1080/14790710408668175. 146563649. 1479-0718.
  10. Rothman. Jason. 2011-01-01. L3 syntactic transfer selectivity and typological determinacy: The typological primacy model. Second Language Research. en. 27. 1. 107–127. 10.1177/0267658310386439. 145722158. 0267-6583.
  11. Book: Bardel. Camilla. Sánchez. Laura. The L2 status factor hypothesis revisited. Angelovska. Tanja. Hahn. Angela. https://books.google.com/books?id=hxowDwAAQBAJ&q=l2+status&pg=PA85. L3 Syntactic Transfer: Models, new developments and implications. 2017. John Benjamins Publishing Company. 978-90-272-6560-9. en. 10.1075/bpa.5.05bar. 85–101.
  12. Web site: AAAS Announces Leading Scientists Elected as 2019 Fellows American Association for the Advancement of Science. 2021-03-11. www.aaas.org. en.
  13. Web site: Six MIT faculty elected 2019 AAAS Fellows. 2021-03-11. MIT News Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 26 November 2019 . en.
  14. Web site: Laurels to Linguists: Jennifer Cole, Suzanne Flynn, Allard Jongman, & Dan Jurafsky Linguistic Society of America. 2021-03-15. www.linguisticsociety.org.
  15. Flynn. Suzanne. 1987. A Parameter-Setting Model of L2 Acquisition. Studies in Theoretical Psycholinguistics. 5. 10.1007/978-94-009-3747-5. 978-90-277-2375-8. 1873-0043.
  16. 1988. Flynn. Suzanne. O’Neil. Wayne. Linguistic Theory in Second Language Acquisition. Studies in Theoretical Psycholinguistics. 8. 10.1007/978-94-009-2733-9. 978-1-55608-085-2. 1873-0043.
  17. YOW. W. QUIN. TAN. JESSICA S. H.. FLYNN. SUZANNE. 2017-09-04. Code-switching as a marker of linguistic competence in bilingual children. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. 21. 5. 1075–1090. 10.1017/s1366728917000335. 1366-7289. free.
  18. Book: 2012-11-30. Cabrelli Amaro. Jennifer. Flynn. Suzanne. Rothman. Jason. Third Language Acquisition in Adulthood. Studies in Bilingualism. 46. 10.1075/sibil.46. 978-90-272-4187-0. 0928-1533 .
  19. Flynn. Suzanne. Clark. Terrell. Szarkowski. Amy. 2014-10-16. Dually Diagnosed: A Retrospective Study of the Process of Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders in Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Seminars in Speech and Language. 35. 4. 301–308. 10.1055/s-0034-1389102. 25321854. 5057239 . 0734-0478.

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