Differences or fundamental differences?

Commenting on Jurgen M. Meisel's paper in this issue of Zeitschrift fur Sprachwissenschaft in support of Robert Bley-Vroman's (1990 & to appear) fundamental difference hypothesis (FDH), it is argued that his claim that fundamental differences can be observed in the acquisition of morphosyntax between first & second language, when the latter is learned after age four, is premature. A review of studies is conducted, focusing on research of the acquisition of verbal morphology & its relation to verb placement in negated sentences which, it is argued, is particularly well suited to detecting fundamental differences between acquisition processes in first & second language. It is demonstrated that child first & second language learning & adult second language learning are very similar processes in this domain, & the claim that there is a qualitative, fundamental change in the acquisition process around the age of four is unwarranted. Z. Dubiel