Is literacy a factor in L2 morphosyntax development?

Attention to the role that low or non-literacy plays in adult acquisition of a non-mother tongue is still peripheral, if not almost non-existent in the broader field of second language acquisition. This is particularly true for the development of morphosyntax in the interlanguages of many new migrants, among whom low or non-literacy is a significant factor. The paper sketches the acquisition pathway in such interlanguages by comparing it with what has emerged from decades of research on second language acquisition. Furthermore, it is suggested that some interlanguage constructions in both L2 English and L2 Italian can be traced back to the learners' literacy level