6. Subject-object asymmetry in children's comprehension of sentences containing logical words
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Sharon Armon-Lotem
Abstract
This chapter investigates the influence of syntax, semantics and pragmatics on children’s understanding of sentences containing some and or, showing a subjectobject asymmetry. Chierchia, Crain, Guasti and Thornton (1998) showed that once the scalar implicature is erased (in the prediction mode), children accept that some could mean every (75%), and or could mean and (nearly 100%). 40 Hebrew-speaking children aged 3–6 were tested using eyzeshehu yeled forsome boy and o for or: 22 in the description mode and 18 in the prediction mode. Children accepted the use of inclusive or in the prediction mode (96%) but far less in the description mode (37%). For some, a subject-object asymmetry was found in both modes. In the prediction mode, the implicature was always erased in direct object position, but in subject position the implicature was only erased 40% of the times. Similarly, in the description mode, the scalar implicature was derived in two thirds of the cases in subject position, but in only a third of the cases in object position. This suggests that syntactic position contributes to children’s comprehension of sentences containing logical words and that both the difference between some and or and the subject-object asymmetry stem from specificity, a pragmatic condition which affects reference.
Abstract
This chapter investigates the influence of syntax, semantics and pragmatics on children’s understanding of sentences containing some and or, showing a subjectobject asymmetry. Chierchia, Crain, Guasti and Thornton (1998) showed that once the scalar implicature is erased (in the prediction mode), children accept that some could mean every (75%), and or could mean and (nearly 100%). 40 Hebrew-speaking children aged 3–6 were tested using eyzeshehu yeled forsome boy and o for or: 22 in the description mode and 18 in the prediction mode. Children accepted the use of inclusive or in the prediction mode (96%) but far less in the description mode (37%). For some, a subject-object asymmetry was found in both modes. In the prediction mode, the implicature was always erased in direct object position, but in subject position the implicature was only erased 40% of the times. Similarly, in the description mode, the scalar implicature was derived in two thirds of the cases in subject position, but in only a third of the cases in object position. This suggests that syntactic position contributes to children’s comprehension of sentences containing logical words and that both the difference between some and or and the subject-object asymmetry stem from specificity, a pragmatic condition which affects reference.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- 1. Left-dislocated subjects: A construction typical of young French-speaking children? 13
- 2. The development and interaction of Case and Number in early Russian 31
- 3. Verb movement and subject placement in the acquisition of word order: Pragmatics or structural economy? 61
- 4. Three acquisition puzzles and the relation between input and output 87
- 5. The acquisition of universal quantifiers in Spanish 119
- 6. Subject-object asymmetry in children's comprehension of sentences containing logical words 137
- 7. On the "vulnerability" of the left periphery in French/German balanced bilingual language acquisition 161
- 8. The subjects of unaccusative verbs in bilingual Basque/Spanish children 183
- 9. Dominance, mixing and cross-linguistic influence: On their relation in bilingual development 209
- 10. A cross-linguistic analysis of binding in Down syndrome 235
- 11. Balanced bilingual children with two weak languages: A French/German case study 269
- Afterword 295
- Index of subjects 299
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- 1. Left-dislocated subjects: A construction typical of young French-speaking children? 13
- 2. The development and interaction of Case and Number in early Russian 31
- 3. Verb movement and subject placement in the acquisition of word order: Pragmatics or structural economy? 61
- 4. Three acquisition puzzles and the relation between input and output 87
- 5. The acquisition of universal quantifiers in Spanish 119
- 6. Subject-object asymmetry in children's comprehension of sentences containing logical words 137
- 7. On the "vulnerability" of the left periphery in French/German balanced bilingual language acquisition 161
- 8. The subjects of unaccusative verbs in bilingual Basque/Spanish children 183
- 9. Dominance, mixing and cross-linguistic influence: On their relation in bilingual development 209
- 10. A cross-linguistic analysis of binding in Down syndrome 235
- 11. Balanced bilingual children with two weak languages: A French/German case study 269
- Afterword 295
- Index of subjects 299
