In second language acquisition, semantics assumes a heightened position of importance in regards to achieving target levels of competence. Assuming that the target competence is equal to a native-speaker's, a non-native speaker will never fully reach a native level of semantic competence. The ways that L1 semantics can affect L2 semantics is an area of interest in both cognitive and generative linguistics. Research from both perspectives is valuable to evaluate semantics at the lexical and syntactic level.
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