13. Diminutives provide multiple benefits for language acquisition
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Vera Kempe
Abstract
This chapter explores the hypothesis that diminutive usage in child-directed speech may provide multiple benefits for language acquisition. We summarize a series of experiments that exposed naïve English-speaking adults to Dutch or Russian diminutives, and tested their ability to isolate words in fluent speech or acquire gender categories. Across studies, adults benefited from exposure to diminutives over their simplex counterparts, supporting the hypothesis that diminutives simplify word segmentation and morphology acquisition, by increasing word-ending invariance, regularizing stress patterns, and decreasing irregularity in morpho-syntactic categories. A similar diminutive advantage is observed in experimental studies of first language acquisition: Preschool children produce fewer gender agreement and case marking errors with diminutives than with simplex nouns across several languages (Russian, Serbian, Polish, Lithuanian).
Abstract
This chapter explores the hypothesis that diminutive usage in child-directed speech may provide multiple benefits for language acquisition. We summarize a series of experiments that exposed naïve English-speaking adults to Dutch or Russian diminutives, and tested their ability to isolate words in fluent speech or acquire gender categories. Across studies, adults benefited from exposure to diminutives over their simplex counterparts, supporting the hypothesis that diminutives simplify word segmentation and morphology acquisition, by increasing word-ending invariance, regularizing stress patterns, and decreasing irregularity in morpho-syntactic categories. A similar diminutive advantage is observed in experimental studies of first language acquisition: Preschool children produce fewer gender agreement and case marking errors with diminutives than with simplex nouns across several languages (Russian, Serbian, Polish, Lithuanian).
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- 1. Form and meaning of diminutives in Lithuanian child language 13
- 2. Diminutives in Russian at the early stages of acquisition 43
- 3. The acquisition of diminutives in Croatian 73
- 4. Diminutives in Greek child language 89
- 5. The role of diminutives in the acquisition of Italian morphology 125
- 6. The acquisition of diminutives in Spanish 155
- 7. A longitudinal study of the acquisition of diminutives in Dutch 183
- 8. Diminutives and hypocoristics in Austrian German (AG) 207
- 9. Acquisition of diminutives in Hungarian 231
- 10. Diminutives in Finnish child-directed and child speech 263
- 11. The (scarcity of) diminutives in Turkish child language 279
- 12. Acquiring diminutive structures and meanings in Hebrew 295
- 13. Diminutives provide multiple benefits for language acquisition 319
- Conclusions 343
- Subject index 351
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- 1. Form and meaning of diminutives in Lithuanian child language 13
- 2. Diminutives in Russian at the early stages of acquisition 43
- 3. The acquisition of diminutives in Croatian 73
- 4. Diminutives in Greek child language 89
- 5. The role of diminutives in the acquisition of Italian morphology 125
- 6. The acquisition of diminutives in Spanish 155
- 7. A longitudinal study of the acquisition of diminutives in Dutch 183
- 8. Diminutives and hypocoristics in Austrian German (AG) 207
- 9. Acquisition of diminutives in Hungarian 231
- 10. Diminutives in Finnish child-directed and child speech 263
- 11. The (scarcity of) diminutives in Turkish child language 279
- 12. Acquiring diminutive structures and meanings in Hebrew 295
- 13. Diminutives provide multiple benefits for language acquisition 319
- Conclusions 343
- Subject index 351
