Staff Profile

Role in the School

Senior Lecturer in Second Language Acquisition

Degree Programme Director - MA in Linguistics and IPHD Linguistics (Taught Phase)

Biography

PhD in Linguistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

MA in Linguistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

MA in TESOL, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA

BA (Hons) in English, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka

My main research interests include adult second language acquisition and syntactic theory. My current research is mainly dedicated to understanding how adult second language learners develop L2 syntactic knowledge under different input conditions (classroom learning vs. naturalistic exposure), how age-related constraints interact with their acquisition, and how second language speakers utilize their underlying syntactic competence to guide real-time language comprehension (L2 processing). I am also interested in exploring how different cognitive and affective factors determine the success in adult second language acquisition.

SEL3430 - Advanced Second Language Acquisition

SEL8690 - Advanced Topics in Second Language Acquisition

• Articles

  • Hettiarachchi, S, Pires, A. Second language acquisition of constraints on wh-movement by L2 English speakers: Evidence for full acesss to syntactic features. Languages 2022, 7(2), 2-19.
  • Hettiarachchi S. Local Object Scrambling in Sinhala: Evidence for A-bar Movement. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies 2022, 9(2), 20-33.
  • Chao-Ting Tim, Chou, Hettiarachchi, Sujeewa. On Sinhala subject case marking and A-moement. Lingua 2016, 177, 17-40.
  • Hettiarachchi S. English Language Teacher Motivation in Sri Lankan Public Schools. Journal of Language Teaching and Research 2013, 4(1), 1-11.