International Journal of Bilingualism 1–19 © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1367006914527185 Ijb.sagepub.com The logical problem of second language acquisition of argument structure: Recognizing aspectual distinctions in Spanish psych- predicates Inmaculada Gómez Soler University of Memphis, USA Abstract Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: This article explores the issue of second language (L2) acquisition of argument structure as it relates specifically to Spanish psych-verbs. These predicates are classified according to their distinct aspectual nature, which corresponds to different morphosyntactic properties. This study tests L2 learners’ ability to understand these subtle distinctions in spite of the impoverished input to which they are exposed and the lack of instruction and first language (L1) transfer. Design/methodology/approach and data and analysis: Through two scalar grammaticality judgment tasks, 65 native English learners of Spanish across four proficiency levels showed a good understanding of the morphosyntactic reflexes that distinguish eventive and stative psych-verbs. Findings/conclusions: Since these properties could neither have been learned through instruction nor transferred from the L1 or accessed straightforwardly from the input, learners must have resorted to universal mappings between meaning and syntax in order to achieve these target-like patterns of behavior. Originality: Although the acquisition of argument structure has been the topic of a considerable amount of early research in the field, this article looks at a completely novel instantiation of argument structure and its learnability. Significance/implications: Consequently, it contributes with new data to the long-standing debate on the poverty-of-the-stimulus (POS) argument by supporting positions that contend that L2 acquisition is characterized by a logical problem and that L2 learners can successfully overcome this POS by resorting to universal principles. Keywords Argument structure, psych-verbs, aspect, eventive/stative, antipassive se, word order, logical problem of second language acquisition, poverty-of-the-stimulus argument Corresponding author: Inmaculada Gómez Soler, Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures, University of Memphis, 108 Jones Hall, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA. Email: igsoler@memphis.edu 527185IJB 0 0 10.1177/1367006914527185International Journal of BilingualismSoler research-article 2014 Article