The Acquisition of Relative Clauses

The Acquisition of Relative Clauses PDF

Author: Evan Kidd

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 9027234787

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Explaining the acquisition and processing of relative clauses has long challenged psycholinguistics researchers. The current volume presents a collection of chapters that consider the acquisition of relative clauses with a particular focus on function, typology, and language processing. A diverse range of theoretical approaches and languages are bought to bear on the acquisition of this construction type, making the volume unique in its coverage. The volume will appeal to students and scholars whose interest lies in the acquisition and processing of syntax with a particular focus on complex sentences in crosslinguistic and functionalist perspective.

Bilingual Sentence Processing

Bilingual Sentence Processing PDF

Author: Eva M. Fernández

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2003-03-27

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 9027296782

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The cross-linguistic differences documented in studies of relative clause attachment offer an invaluable opportunity to examine a particular aspect of bilingual sentence processing: Do bilinguals process their two languages as if they were monolingual speakers of each? This volume provides a review of existing research on relative clause attachment, showing that speakers of languages like English attach relative clauses differently than do speakers of languages like Spanish. Fernández reports the findings of an investigation with monolinguals and bilinguals, tested using speeded ("on-line") and unspeeded ("off-line") methodology, with materials in both English and Spanish. The experiments reveal similarities across the groups when the procedure is speeded, but differences with unspeeded questionnaires: The monolinguals replicate the standard cross-linguistic differences, while bilinguals have language-independent preferences determined by language dominance — bilinguals process stimuli in either of their languages according to the general preferences of monolinguals of their dominant language.

The Acquisition of Complex Sentences

The Acquisition of Complex Sentences PDF

Author: Holger Diessel

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2004-09-02

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 1139454080

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This book presents a comprehensive study of how children acquire complex sentences. Drawing on observational data from English-speaking children aged 2 to 5, Holger Diessel investigates the acquisition of infinitival and participial complement clauses, finite complement clauses, finite and nonfinite relative clauses, adverbial clauses, and coordinate clauses. His investigation shows that the development of complex sentences originates from simple non-embedded sentences and that two different developmental pathways can be distinguished: complex sentences including complement and relative clauses evolve from simple sentences that are gradually expanded to multiple-clause constructions, and complex sentences including adverbial and coordinate clauses develop from simple sentences that are integrated in a specific biclausal unit. He argues that the acquisition process is determined by a variety of factors: the frequency of the various complex sentences in the ambient language, the semantic and syntactic complexity of the emerging constructions, the communicative functions of complex sentences, and the social-cognitive development of the child.

The Acquisition of English Restrictive Relative Clauses by Hungarian Learners of English

The Acquisition of English Restrictive Relative Clauses by Hungarian Learners of English PDF

Author: Judit Kiss-Gulyás

Publisher: Akademiai Kiado

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 174

ISBN-13: 9789630581745

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"The present work uses the standard version of principles and parameters theory of Universal Grammar to address second language acquisition issues. It is assumed that comparative analysis of Hungarian and English based on the model enables the researcher to formulate precise and testable questions and the empirical research provides reliable answers." "The investigated area is the acquisition of English restrictive relative clauses by L1 Hungarian learners of L2 English. This area of grammar causes problems: most of these are proficiency-determined, but there are some which are observable even at fairly advanced levels. In the given framework it is postulated that some properties of parameters set differently for the L1 can be reset to the new language, whereas other properties seem to resist re-setting and remain non-native-like in the interlanguage of even near-native L2 English speakers of L1 Hungarian." "The book may interest pure and applied linguists, psycholinguists as well as practising teachers as it attempts to offer a possible answer to the often made observation: there are parts of L2 grammar which are relatively easy to acquire despite the language differences, yet there are several features that remain faulty or misunderstood despite teacher and learner effort."--BOOK JACKET.

The Acquisition of Spanish

The Acquisition of Spanish PDF

Author: Silvina Montrul

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2004-01-01

Total Pages: 436

ISBN-13: 9789027252975

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This is the first book on the acquisition of Spanish that provides a state-of-the-art comprehensive overview of Spanish morphosyntactic development in monolingual and bilingual situations. Its content is organized around key grammatical themes that form the empirical base of research in generative grammar: nominal and verbal inflectional morphology, subject and object pronouns, complex structures involving movement (topicalizations, questions, relative clauses), and aspects of verb meaning that have consequences for syntax. The book argues that Universal Grammar constrains all instances of language acquisition and that there is a fundamental continuity between monolingual, bilingual, child and adult early grammatical systems. While stressing their similarities with respect to linguistic representations and processes, the book also considers important differences between these three acquisition situations with respect to the outcome of acquisition. It is also shown that many linguistic properties of Spanish are acquired earlier than in English and other languages. This book is a must read for those interested in the acquisition of Spanish from different theoretical perspectives as well as those working on the acquisition of other languages in different contexts.

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