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Red train, big train, broken train

Semantic aspects of adjectives in child language
  • Merle Weicker and Petra Schulz
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Three Streams of Generative Language Acquisition Research
This chapter is in the book Three Streams of Generative Language Acquisition Research

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of formal semantic properties in the acquisition of adjectives. Based on these semantic properties we propose an implicational Semantic Feature Hierarchy, which postulates that the order of emergence is determined by the adjectives’ semantic complexity. To test this hierarchy a high density corpus of spontaneous speech (age 2;00–2;11 years) was analyzed regarding the adjectives’ entailment and gradability properties. The data are in line with our hypothesis that the emergence of adjective classes is based on formal semantic criteria. Moreover, our data analyses show that semantic complexity is not mirrored in type frequency. Regarding the syntactic distribution of adjectives in child language we found that as soon as adjectives and nouns are combined, attributive structures are preferred over predicative structures.

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of formal semantic properties in the acquisition of adjectives. Based on these semantic properties we propose an implicational Semantic Feature Hierarchy, which postulates that the order of emergence is determined by the adjectives’ semantic complexity. To test this hierarchy a high density corpus of spontaneous speech (age 2;00–2;11 years) was analyzed regarding the adjectives’ entailment and gradability properties. The data are in line with our hypothesis that the emergence of adjective classes is based on formal semantic criteria. Moreover, our data analyses show that semantic complexity is not mirrored in type frequency. Regarding the syntactic distribution of adjectives in child language we found that as soon as adjectives and nouns are combined, attributive structures are preferred over predicative structures.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Three streams of generative language acquisition research 1
  4. Part I. Variation in input
  5. The comprehension of 3rd person singular -s by NYC English-speaking preschoolers 7
  6. Children’s acquisition of sociolinguistic variation 35
  7. Variability within varieties of English 59
  8. Part II. First language acquisition
  9. Parsing, pragmatics, and representation 85
  10. The interpretation of disjunction in VP ellipsis in Mandarin Chinese 107
  11. When OR is conjunctive in child Mandarin 125
  12. The acquisition of V-V compounds in Japanese 143
  13. Differentiating universal quantification from completive aspect in child Cantonese 159
  14. On the learnability of implicit arguments 185
  15. Red train, big train, broken train 203
  16. Part III. Second language acquisition
  17. The acquisition of Mandarin reflexives by heritage speakers and second language learners 225
  18. Interpretation of count and mass NPs by L2-learners from generalized classifier L1s 253
  19. Acquisition of word order in L2 Spanish 271
  20. Argument omission in SignL2 acquisition by deaf learners 297
  21. The Bottleneck Hypothesis updated 319
  22. Author index 347
  23. Subject index 355
https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.63.11wei

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Three streams of generative language acquisition research 1
  4. Part I. Variation in input
  5. The comprehension of 3rd person singular -s by NYC English-speaking preschoolers 7
  6. Children’s acquisition of sociolinguistic variation 35
  7. Variability within varieties of English 59
  8. Part II. First language acquisition
  9. Parsing, pragmatics, and representation 85
  10. The interpretation of disjunction in VP ellipsis in Mandarin Chinese 107
  11. When OR is conjunctive in child Mandarin 125
  12. The acquisition of V-V compounds in Japanese 143
  13. Differentiating universal quantification from completive aspect in child Cantonese 159
  14. On the learnability of implicit arguments 185
  15. Red train, big train, broken train 203
  16. Part III. Second language acquisition
  17. The acquisition of Mandarin reflexives by heritage speakers and second language learners 225
  18. Interpretation of count and mass NPs by L2-learners from generalized classifier L1s 253
  19. Acquisition of word order in L2 Spanish 271
  20. Argument omission in SignL2 acquisition by deaf learners 297
  21. The Bottleneck Hypothesis updated 319
  22. Author index 347
  23. Subject index 355
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