Transcript History of the English Language - uni

Grammatical development
Lexically-specific constructions
Get doggy .
Get milk.
Get him .
Get Billy.
Get something to eat.
Emergence of schematic constructions
VERB __
Get __
Get doggy
Get milk
Get him
Get Billy
Features of grammatical development
• The earliest grammatical patterns are formally simplified.
• The earliest utterances tend to be lexically specific.
• Young children often memorize grammatical patterns.
• ‚Input frequency‘ seems to be an important determinant of
language acquisition.
• Children do not just memorize the patterns they hear, they
also analyze and organize the input data.
Complex sentences
Complex sentences
coordination
subordination
relative
finite non-fi.
complement
finite non-fi.
adverbial
finite
non-fi.
Data
Children
Age range
Number of
utterances
Number of
complex sentences
Adam
2;3-4;10
46,498
4,389
Sarah
2;3-5;1
37,021
2,496
Nina
1;11-3;4
32,212
2,545
Peter
1;9-3;2
30,256
1,746
Naomi
1;8-3;5
14,656
802
Total
1;8-5;1
160,643
11,978
Proportion of complex sentences
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2;0
3;0
4;0
5;0
Complement clauses
Complement clauses
Semantic types:
1. communicative verbs of saying (e.g. say, tell)
2. perception verbs (e.g. see, hear)
3. mental verbs (e.g. know, think)
Formal types:
1. I know (that) she will come.
2. I don’t know if she will come.
3. I don’t know when she will come
S-complement
IF-complement
WH-complement
Early complement clauses
I think it’s a cow.
(Adam 2,3)
See this is empty.
(Peter 2,4)
I know you are here.
(Peter 2,5)
Think he’s gone.
(Nina 2,5)
I guess I’ve one.
(Nina 2;6)
Think-clauses
I think I'm go in here.
And I think... we need dishes.
Think some toys over here too.
I think I play jingle bells… with the record player.
I think he's gone.
Oh... I think it's a ball.
It's a crazy bone... I think.
I think it's in here.
I think it's in here… Mommy.
Think it's in there.
3;1
3;2
3;3
3;5
3;5
3;5
3;5
3;5
2;7
2;8
Features of early think clauses
• The subject is always I.
• The matrix verb appears always in present tense.
• There is no auxiliary, modal, or PP in the matrix clause.
• The complement clause is longer and more diverse.
• There is no that-complementizer.
• In some sentences I think follows the complement
clause.
Development of think clauses
3;0
3,6
4;0
4;6
I think__
Do you think__
I thought__
I’m thinking__
They think__
What do you think__
guess clauses
I guess I better come….
Guess I'll write some more white.
Guess I lay it down.
I guess saw me break them.
I guess I have one more.
That goes right here but it don't fit… I guess.
Now… I guess that goes right there… doesn't it?
Because it have both lines… I guess.
I guess this is a hill… like this.
I guess this is…
3;5
3;9
3;10
3;10
4;4
4;4
4;4
4;5
4;9
5;0
wish clauses
I wish I could play with dis [= a Christmas present].
I wish I can keep it (pause) for writing on.
I wish I can keep dat so I can tick (pause) tick it.
I wish we can eat...
I wish we could eat that.
I wish I could have a tractor to drive in them.
I wish ... could ... make some more just like dat.
I wish you could color all dese.
I wish I could have a picnic.
Momma ... I wish I could come back here.
3;5
3;5
3;5
3;8
3;8
3;8
3;8
3;9
3;11
3;11
know clauses
I know this piece go.
I know ... soldier marching.
How do you know it going eat supper?
How do you know dat a duck?.
How do you know dat convertible?
How do you know ... I saw ducks
How do you know ... put my cup up?
How do you know ... doesn’t hurt me?
Mommy ... How do you know dat’s Harvard Square bus?
Do you know de lights went off?
2;6
2;8
3;0
3;0
3;0
3;0
3;0
3;1
3;1
3;1
see clauses
Got to make them bigger… see?
See this is empty.
Let’s see we fix them.
See these are stamps.
See Daddy’s on the grass.
See boat has sails on it.
See the peoples going.
Mommy write it… see?
See I’m writing
See you do it?
2;3
2;3
2;3
2;4
2;5
2;5
2;6
2;6
2;6
2;7
remember clauses
Remember we played with Samantha?
Remember you reading de puzzle…
Remember I broke my window?
You have to put it in the barn… remember?
Remember it was Halloween and…
I remember the bee bite me in the belly….
Remember I don’t had to go to the doctors?
Remember last year I knew how to make a two?
Hey ... remember that I hanged them on like that?
3;0
3;2
4;0
4;0
4;2
4;5
4;5
4;11
5;0
say clauses
The cowboy say (pause) “I'm angry at you”.
He sayed he has something to play with for me.
That means peoples say “put the kitty down”.
She gonna say I have a pretty dress on.
2;9
2;9
2;10
2;10
The kitty says he wants to come in.
He say the alligator's gonna bite him up.
You make a rabbit and a bear I said.
2;10
2;10
2;10
He said yes he will give you a cow.
She said she is gonna give me a pillow…
Dolly said “yes she (pause) she’s a witch.
2;11
2;11
2;11
tell clauses
She telled me she for get the doll carriage for me.
2;10
He telled me… me don’t scream again.
3;0
Tell me… I would like to come to your house again. 3;0
I’m gonna tell him I wanna go to his house.
3;3
I tell her… “no… no… baby that’s my stuff”.
3;3
I told you I could make a carrot.
4;2
I told you you’re cuckoo.
4;6
I wanna tell the kids ‘do you heard of this kind of water?’4;9
Tell Daddy I’m sick.
4;10
I told you I need the (…) to do it.
4;11
IF-complements
… and see if I’m tall.
Now let’s see if it fits on this little boy.
Let me see if there’s something else in her bag.
I want to see if you…
Let me see if I can touch you.
See if I can make a kite.
See if I can make you wink.
See if I can pour it like this.
See if it smells.
Let me see if you get anymore.
2;10
3;1
3;3
3;8
4;2
4;8
4;9
4;9
4;11
5;1
WH-complements
I wonder what a whale fish is.
I wonder what skinned means.
I wonder what dat is.
I wonder what dat noise is.
I wonder what it is.
Mommy… I wonder what dat is.
I wonder what dey are.
I wonder what dis is.
I wonder where the door is.
I wonder where the rest of it is.
3;8
3;8
3;8
3;8
3;8
3;8
3;8
3;8
3;8
3;8
WH-complements
Guess what it is?
Guess who we spun?
Guess what that is?
Guess what I can make still?
Guess what that is?
Guess what this is?
Guess what it is?
Guess what dis is?
Guess what dis is going to be, Mommy?
Guess how old I am?
3;5
4;1
4;5
4;6
4;6
4;10
4;10
4;11
5;2
5;2
IF + WH-complements
Early clauses:
Let (me/us) see if __
I wonder wh __
Guess __ ?
See if __
Later clauses:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
He doesn’t know where he’s driving.
Paul knows where it is, doesn’t he?
This airplane doesn’t know where it’s going.
She didn’t know where it was.
[4;0]
[4;3]
[4;4]
[5;0]
Emergence of schematic constructions
I think __
Remember __
Emergence of schematic constructions
I think __
Remember __
Emergence of schematic constructions
NP VERB __
NP think __
I think __
He thinks __
I am thinking __
Remember __
Relative clauses
Structure of relative clauses
(1) The man who we saw was reading a book.
SUBJ
(2) He noticed the man who was reading a book.
OBJ
(3) The man who we saw was reading a book.
OBJ
(4) He noticed the man who was reading a book.
SUBJ
Children’s spontaneous relative
clauses
(1)
That’s the rabbit that fall off.
[Nina 2;7]
(2)
Look at dat train Ursula bought.
[Adam 2;10]
(3)
This is the sugar that goes in there.
[Nina 3;0]
(4)
That’s a picture I made.
[Adam 3;0]
(5)
Here’s a tiger that’s gonna scare him.
[Nina 3;1]
(6)
It’s a song that we dance to.
[Nina 3;2]
Semantic complexity
(1)
Here’s the tiger that’s gonna scare him.
> The tiger is gonna scare him.
(2)
This is the sugar that goes in there.
> The sugar goes in there.
(3)
It’s a song that we dance to.
> We dance to a song.
Data
Adam
Sarah
Nina
Peter
Naomi
Age range
Finite
2;3-4;10
2;3-5;1
1;11-3;4
1;9-3;2
1;8-3;3
1;9-5;1
178
32
62
25
8
305
Nonfinite
120
36
71
44
16
287
Head of the relative clause
(1) The man who we saw was reading a book.
SUBJ
(2) He noticed the man who was reading a book.
OBJ
(3) He saw to the man who was reading a book.
OBL
(4) The man who was reading a book.
NP
(5) That’s the man who was reading a book.
PN
Head of relative clause (total)
60
50
48,5
proportions
40
30
23,8
21,5
20
10
5,6
0,7
0
PN
NP
OBJ
OBL
SUBJ
Head of relative clause (earliest)
90
80
80
70
proportion
60
50
40
30
20
7,5
10
10
2,5
0
0
PN
NP
OBJ
OBL
SUBJ
Head of relative clause (development)
90
80
70
proportion
60
50
PN
OBJ
PN
NP
OBJ
NP
OBL
OBL
40
30
20
10
OBL
SUBJ
0
3;0
4;0
age
5;0
Motivating factors
•
•
•
•
Semantic complexity.
Input frequency.
Information structure.
Pragmtic function.
Conclusion
PN-relatives are the earliest relative clauses that
children learn because:
(1)
they suit the communicative needs of
young children
(2)
they are semantically similar to simple
sentences.