Learning Tense and Aspect in L3: A Review of Recent Experimental Studies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26334/2183-9077/rapln15ano2026a4Keywords:
Third language acquisition, tense and aspect, critical review, experimental studiesAbstract
This study reviews recent experimental research on tense-aspect acquisition in a third language (L3). Drawing on 11 studies published between 2017 and early 2026, it identifies recurrent methodological patterns, converging findings, unresolved questions, and persistent limitations in this line of research. The review shows that recent studies tend to favor controlled tasks, particularly Semantic Interpretation Tasks, and rely predominantly on quantitative methods, especially group comparisons and regression-based analyses. Overall, the findings point to the relevance of structural proximity, L2 and L3 proficiency, and L2 status, while also providing recurring support for the Lexical Aspect Hypothesis and the Default Past Tense Hypothesis. At the same time, two issues remain unresolved: the interaction between typological similarity and L2 status when the L1 is structurally closer to the L3, and the effect of source languages that encode tense but only partially align with the target tense-aspect system. The available literature also remains limited in several respects: it focuses heavily on the perfective-imperfective contrast in Romance L3s, primarily examines learners with tensed European language backgrounds in formal instructional settings, and relies overwhelmingly on offline tasks. Future research should therefore expand the range of language combinations and learning contexts under investigation and adopt a wider methodological range.
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