Research on L2 varieties of European languages

Abstract This chapter shows how the concepts of Internalized and Externalized language ( Chomsky, 1986 ), while making clear the distinction between the products of language behaviour and the system of knowledge represented in the mind of individuals, can provide an adequate background to account for the formal grammars of L2 varieties and for the role of L1 transfer in their genesis. To support this approach, I will present linguistic innovations in the realization of different types of verbal arguments in Mozambican Portuguese, an African L2 variety typically acquired by Bantu L1 speakers. The evidence of the study draws upon observational data produced by L2 speakers of Portuguese.