Startseite Linguistik & Semiotik Chapter 10. Free choice and wh -indefinites in child Mandarin
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Chapter 10. Free choice and wh -indefinites in child Mandarin

  • Peng Zhou
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Abstract

The present study reports findings from experimental studies investigating Mandarin-speaking children’s knowledge of the free choice reading of existential expressions like wh-indefinites. Twenty-eight monolingual Mandarin-speaking children and twenty-two Mandarin-speaking adults participated in the study. Using a Question-Statement task (Zhou & Crain 2011), the present study found that four-year-old Mandarin-speaking children exhibited adult-like knowledge of the free choice reading of existential expressions. The current findings, in conjunction with the findings of previous research, provide evidence for a unified account of the semantic interpretations of existential expressions.

Abstract

The present study reports findings from experimental studies investigating Mandarin-speaking children’s knowledge of the free choice reading of existential expressions like wh-indefinites. Twenty-eight monolingual Mandarin-speaking children and twenty-two Mandarin-speaking adults participated in the study. Using a Question-Statement task (Zhou & Crain 2011), the present study found that four-year-old Mandarin-speaking children exhibited adult-like knowledge of the free choice reading of existential expressions. The current findings, in conjunction with the findings of previous research, provide evidence for a unified account of the semantic interpretations of existential expressions.

Heruntergeladen am 9.11.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1075/lald.60.11zho/html
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