The topic of variation in language has received considerable attention in the field of general linguistics in recent years. This includes research on linguistic micro-variation that is dependent on fine distinctions in syntax and information structure. However, relatively little work has been done on how this variation is acquired. This book focuses on how different types of variation are expressed in the input and how this is acquired by young children. The collection of papers includes studies of the acquisition of variation in a number of different languages, including English, German, Greek, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Swiss German, Ukrainian, and American Sign Language. Different kinds of linguistic variation are considered, ranging from pure word order variation to optionally doubly filled COMPs and the resolution of scopal ambiguities. In addition, papers in the volume deal with the extreme case of variation found in bilingual acquisition.
Author(s): Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen, Marit Westergaard (auth.), Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen, Marit Westergaard (eds.)
Series: Studies in Theoretical Psycholinguistics 39
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Year: 2011
Language: English
Pages: 276
Tags: Linguistics (general); Applied Linguistics; Psycholinguistics; Syntax
Front Matter....Pages i-viii
The Acquisition of (Word Order) Variation....Pages 1-15
Optional Illusions....Pages 17-32
‘Optional’ Doubly-Filled COMPs (DFCs) in Wh-Complements in Child and Adult Swiss German....Pages 33-64
The Acquisition of Adjectival Ordering in Italian....Pages 65-93
Input Factors in Early Verb Acquisition: Do Word Frequency and Word Order Variability of Verbs Matter?....Pages 95-127
Word Order in the Development of Dative Constructions: A Comparison of Cantonese and English....Pages 129-156
Using Early ASL Word Order to Shed Light on Word Order Variability in Sign Language....Pages 157-177
Variable Word Order in Child Greek....Pages 179-205
Optional Scrambling Is Not Random: Evidence from English-Ukrainian Acquisition....Pages 207-240
The Acquisition of Apparent Optionality: Word Order in Subject and Object Shift Constructions in Norwegian....Pages 241-270
Back Matter....Pages 271-276
