Mapping at external interfaces: Embedded clitic left dislocations in L2 Spanish

This study investigates embedded clitic left dislocation (CLLD), a syntax-discourse interface structure expressing topicalization, in a group of native and L2 Spanish speakers (beginners, intermediate, advanced). The Interface Hypothesis (Sorace, 2011) proposes that external interfaces pose inordinate dificulty for bilinguals, even at near-native levels. Results did not show evidence of such dificulty although differences in methodology (tasks imposing time pressure vs. not) could account for divergences. Additionally, not all syntax-discourse interface properties might be equally problematic: CLLD might not intrinsically place the same processing burden as other structures (e.g., anaphora resolution). Finally, results showed input quality was positively correlated to native-like outcomes, beyond proficiency. Hence, results are in broad agreement with accounts proposing input is the key factor for acquisition.