Transitiivikonstruktio ikkunana syntaksin kehitykseen : infiniittiset rakenteet ja passiivi taidon indikaattoreina S2-oppijoiden teksteissä

In the field of Finnish as a second language, there has hitherto been little research on the development of syntax. This article presents quantitative findings of the use of a common and versatile syntactic pattern – the transitive construction – in texts written by adult learners of L2 Finnish, and rated on a functional CEFR scale at levels A1–C2. The aim is to examine how the use of the transitive construction develops across the levels: how it is varied and combined with different kinds of syntactic resources, and moreover, what kinds of uses are typical at each level. The paper will focus on two clause level phenomena that also seem to indicate proficiency in writing: the uses of the transitive construction with infinite structures and passive. Language learning and linguistic development are discussed from the usage-based and Construction Grammarian perspective.