ABSTRACT
The formal and functional properties of finiteness and the expression of negation are core issues in the acquisition of the structure and the meaning of clauses right from the beginning of second language acquisition. Both properties are closely related in learner and target grammars. Finiteness organizes clause structure and has syntactic as well as morphological correlates in the Indo-European target languages whose acquisition has been studied most extensively. (Sentential) negation is a semantically central device and therefore typically among the first scope-bearing operators acquired by second language learners. Its structural integration in learner production at different points of development is firmly linked to the acquisition of finiteness.
It is therefore not surprising that both properties figure prominently in developmental stage models and have attracted quite some attention from second language researchers of different theoretical orientation. The article summarizes core findings concerning the acquisition of sentence negation and morpho-syntactic finiteness marking and discusses their interpretation in light of competing theoretical accounts. While polarized debates on the relevance of UG and, relatedly, the connection between finite syntax and morphology in (adult) L2 acquisition had an impact on the way these issues were studied in the past, recent studies pursue a broader perspective.
