UID:
almafu_9959244567402883
Format:
1 online resource (360 p.)
Edition:
1st ed.
ISBN:
1-282-45687-3
,
9786612456879
,
3-11-021617-5
Series Statement:
Studies on language acquisition ; 37
Content:
Language acquisition is a developmental process. Research on spontaneous processes of both children learning their mother tongue and adults learning a second language has shown that particular stages of acquisition can be discriminated. Initially, learner utterances can be accounted for in terms of a language system that is relatively simple. In studies on second language acquisition this learner system is called the Basic Variety (Klein and Perdue 1997). Utterance structure of the Basic Variety is determined by a grammar which consists of lexical structures that are constrained, for example, by semantic principles such as "The NP-referent with highest control comes first" and a pragmatic principle such as "Focus expression last". At some point in acquisition this lexical-semantic system is given up in favour of a target-like system with morpho-syntactic features to express the functional properties of finiteness, topicality, the determiner system, etc. Insights into how this process evolves may also provide an answer to the question of why it takes place. Within this functional perspective on language acquisition research focuses on questions such as the following.1. What is the driving force behind the process that causes learners to give up a simple lexical-semantic system in favour of a morpho-syntactic functional category system?2. What is the added value of morpho-syntactic properties of inflection, word-order variation, definiteness and agreement?3. Why is it that in cases of specific language impairment it is mainly morpho-syntactic properties of the target language that are affected?
Note:
Description based upon print version of record.
,
Contents -- Preface / Christine Dimroth and Peter Jordens -- Convergence on finite V2 clauses in L1, bilingual L1 and early L2 acquisition / Rosemarie Tracy and Dieter Thoma -- The acquisition of functional categories in child L1 and adult L2 Dutch / Peter Jordens -- The acquisition of syntactic finiteness in L1 German: A structure-building approach / Steffi Winkler -- Stepping stones and stumbling blocks: Why negation accelerates and additive particles delay the acquisition of finiteness in German / Christine Dimroth -- Does finiteness mark assertion? A picture selection study with native speakers and adult learners of German / Sarah Schimke -- Light verbs and the acquisition of finiteness and negation in Dutch as a second language / Josje Verhagen -- Finiteness in children with SLI: a functional approach / Anke Jolink -- Functional and modal elements in child and adult Russian / Natalia Gagarina -- How much (morpho-)syntax is needed to express finiteness? / Karen Ferret and Clive Perdue -- Relating Italian articles and clitic object pronouns in bilingual children acquiring Italian and German / Tanja Kupisch and Natascha Muller -- Index.
,
Issued also in print.
,
English
Additional Edition:
ISBN 3-11-021616-7
Language:
English
Subjects:
Comparative Studies. Non-European Languages/Literatures
DOI:
10.1515/9783110216172
