The development of Hebrew conjunct constructions in narration
-
Dorit Ravid
Abstract
The current chapter describes a psycholinguistic study of the development of conjunct constructions, a multi-functional coordinated syntactic structure that lies at the heart of complex Hebrew syntax, which can express variegated content in syntactically complex structures. Conjunct constructions in narratives written by 150 Hebrew-speaking children, adolescents and adults were analyzed in terms of syntactic structure and function, lexical semantics, and discourse functions. Results indicate that this construction emerges as a simplex event-telling form, gaining in complexity and fulfilling more functions with age and schooling level, with a concomitant increase in the interface with other forms of complex syntax. The chapter concludes with an illustration of these developments in two narratives and a discussion of the role of language-specific constructions in language acquisition.
Abstract
The current chapter describes a psycholinguistic study of the development of conjunct constructions, a multi-functional coordinated syntactic structure that lies at the heart of complex Hebrew syntax, which can express variegated content in syntactically complex structures. Conjunct constructions in narratives written by 150 Hebrew-speaking children, adolescents and adults were analyzed in terms of syntactic structure and function, lexical semantics, and discourse functions. Results indicate that this construction emerges as a simplex event-telling form, gaining in complexity and fulfilling more functions with age and schooling level, with a concomitant increase in the interface with other forms of complex syntax. The chapter concludes with an illustration of these developments in two narratives and a discussion of the role of language-specific constructions in language acquisition.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface ix
-
Part I. Language and literacy development
- How neuroscience can inform education 3
- The neural basis for primary and acquired language skills 17
- Contributions from cognitive neuroscience to current understanding of reading acquisition and reading disability 29
- Lexical quality revisited 51
- The role of metalinguistic and socio-cognitive factors in reading skill 69
- Developing reading comprehension interventions 85
- Hunting for the links between word-level writing skills and text quality 103
- The development of Hebrew conjunct constructions in narration 119
- Motivation and engagement in language and literacy development 137
- Children’s hypertext comprehension 149
-
Part II. Multilingual language and literacy development
- An updated review of cross-language transfer and its educational implications 167
- The influence of first language on learning English as an additional language 183
- Multilingual learners 199
- A comparison of phonological awareness and morphological awareness in reading Chinese across two linguistic contexts 219
- Development of qualifiers in children’s written stories 237
- Individual variation in syntactic processing in the second language 257
-
Part III. Language and literacy development in special populations and its implications
- How to teach children reading and spelling 277
- Two technologies to help adults with reading difficulties improve their comprehension 295
- Can poor readers be good learners? 315
- The shift of the role of early intervention in the study of dyslexia 333
- Issues in diagnosing dyslexia 349
- Imagery in reading and reading disabilities 363
- Written narratives in children with autism 379
- Advancing interventions for children with motor restrictions 399
- Assessment of communicative competence in children with severe developmental disorders 413
- Index 441
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface ix
-
Part I. Language and literacy development
- How neuroscience can inform education 3
- The neural basis for primary and acquired language skills 17
- Contributions from cognitive neuroscience to current understanding of reading acquisition and reading disability 29
- Lexical quality revisited 51
- The role of metalinguistic and socio-cognitive factors in reading skill 69
- Developing reading comprehension interventions 85
- Hunting for the links between word-level writing skills and text quality 103
- The development of Hebrew conjunct constructions in narration 119
- Motivation and engagement in language and literacy development 137
- Children’s hypertext comprehension 149
-
Part II. Multilingual language and literacy development
- An updated review of cross-language transfer and its educational implications 167
- The influence of first language on learning English as an additional language 183
- Multilingual learners 199
- A comparison of phonological awareness and morphological awareness in reading Chinese across two linguistic contexts 219
- Development of qualifiers in children’s written stories 237
- Individual variation in syntactic processing in the second language 257
-
Part III. Language and literacy development in special populations and its implications
- How to teach children reading and spelling 277
- Two technologies to help adults with reading difficulties improve their comprehension 295
- Can poor readers be good learners? 315
- The shift of the role of early intervention in the study of dyslexia 333
- Issues in diagnosing dyslexia 349
- Imagery in reading and reading disabilities 363
- Written narratives in children with autism 379
- Advancing interventions for children with motor restrictions 399
- Assessment of communicative competence in children with severe developmental disorders 413
- Index 441
