Was langsame Lerner uns zeigen können

Current theoretical approaches to finiteness indicate that morpho-syntactic properties of verbs do not only serve to express semantic features like tense but also illocutionary force (or ›assertion‹). Starting point for the current study is the observation that targetlike morpho-syntactic markings of these semantic properties have precursors in early (non-finite) learner languages (L1 and L2). The study concentrates on the transition from non-finite to finite varieties in slow learners, comparing the acquisition of finiteness in German by adult L2-learners and children with specific language impairment (SLI).