Effects of focus and definiteness on children's word order
- Two experiments tested how faithfully German children aged 4; 5 to 5; 6 reproduce ditransitive sentences that are unmarked or marked with respect to word order and focus (Exp1) or definiteness (Exp2). Adopting an optimality theory (OT) approach, it is assumed that in the German adult grammar word order is ranked lower than focus and definiteness. Faithfulness of children's reproductions decreased as markedness of inputs increased; unmarked structures were reproduced most faithfully and unfaithful outputs had most often an unmarked form. Consistent with the OT proposal, children were more tolerant against inputs marked for word order than for focus; in conflict with the proposal, children were less tolerant against inputs marked for word order than for definiteness. Our results suggest that the linearization of objects in German double object constructions is affected by focus and definiteness, but that prosodic principles may have an impact on the position of a focused constituent.
Author details: | Barbara HöhleORCiDGND, Robin HörnigGND, Thomas Weskott, Selene Knauf, Agnes Krüger |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-415695 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.25932/publishup-41569 |
ISSN: | 1866-8364 |
Title of parent work (English): | Postprints der Universität Potsdam Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe |
Subtitle (English): | evidence from German five-year-olds' reproductions of double object constructions |
Publication series (Volume number): | Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe (511) |
Publication type: | Postprint |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2019/01/25 |
Publication year: | 2014 |
Publishing institution: | Universität Potsdam |
Release date: | 2019/01/25 |
Tag: | acquisition; animacy; constraints; grammar; indefinite articles; information; language; preschool-children; sentences; stress |
Issue: | 511 |
Number of pages: | 31 |
Source: | Journal of Child Language 41 (2014) 4, S. 780–810 DOI: 10.1017/S0305000913000196 |
Organizational units: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät |
DDC classification: | 1 Philosophie und Psychologie / 15 Psychologie / 150 Psychologie |
4 Sprache / 40 Sprache / 400 Sprache | |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Publishing method: | Open Access |
Grantor: | Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
License (German): | Keine öffentliche Lizenz: Unter Urheberrechtsschutz |
External remark: | Bibliographieeintrag der Originalveröffentlichung/Quelle |