Can children tell us anything we did not know about parameter clustering?
-
Larisa Avram
Abstract
The present paper provides evidence that children are not different from
adults with respect to phrase structure building, a process considered to
be highly dependent on feature valuation. Lexical heads are taken from
the lexicon with open feature values that are specified in the course of the
derivation. Under such a view, linguistic development is mainly restricted
to the lexicon, the projection of functional structure following from the
stepwise identification and valuation of the features encoded by the
morphological markers on lexical items. Based on data from child language,
it is argued that language acquisition consists in choosing the particular
values that correspond to the target language.
Abstract
The present paper provides evidence that children are not different from
adults with respect to phrase structure building, a process considered to
be highly dependent on feature valuation. Lexical heads are taken from
the lexicon with open feature values that are specified in the course of the
derivation. Under such a view, linguistic development is mainly restricted
to the lexicon, the projection of functional structure following from the
stepwise identification and valuation of the features encoded by the
morphological markers on lexical items. Based on data from child language,
it is argued that language acquisition consists in choosing the particular
values that correspond to the target language.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface & Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
-
I. The locus of (parametric) variation
- Parametric versus functional explanations of syntactic universals 75
- Three fundamental issues in parametric linguistics 109
- On the syntactic flexibility of formal features 143
- Expletives, datives, and the tension between morphology and syntax 175
- Mapping a parochial lexicon onto a universal semantics 219
- Aspect matters in the middle 247
-
II. A classic parameter revisited: the null-subject parameter
- The null subject parameter and correlating properties: The case of Creole languages 271
- The Case-F valuation parameter in Romance 295
- Silent arguments without pro : The case of Basque 311
- Case morphology and radical pro -drop 331
-
III. Parametric clustering
- The macroparameter in a microparametric world 351
- Topic prominence and null subjects 375
- Non-configurationality: Free word order and argument drop in Turkish 411
- Diachronic stability and feature interpretability 441
-
III. The acquisition of parameters
- Can children tell us anything we did not know about parameter clustering? 459
- Parameter setting and input reduction 483
- Index 517
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface & Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
-
I. The locus of (parametric) variation
- Parametric versus functional explanations of syntactic universals 75
- Three fundamental issues in parametric linguistics 109
- On the syntactic flexibility of formal features 143
- Expletives, datives, and the tension between morphology and syntax 175
- Mapping a parochial lexicon onto a universal semantics 219
- Aspect matters in the middle 247
-
II. A classic parameter revisited: the null-subject parameter
- The null subject parameter and correlating properties: The case of Creole languages 271
- The Case-F valuation parameter in Romance 295
- Silent arguments without pro : The case of Basque 311
- Case morphology and radical pro -drop 331
-
III. Parametric clustering
- The macroparameter in a microparametric world 351
- Topic prominence and null subjects 375
- Non-configurationality: Free word order and argument drop in Turkish 411
- Diachronic stability and feature interpretability 441
-
III. The acquisition of parameters
- Can children tell us anything we did not know about parameter clustering? 459
- Parameter setting and input reduction 483
- Index 517
