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Directives in Finnish language acquisition

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Development of Modality in First Language Acquisition
This chapter is in the book Development of Modality in First Language Acquisition

Abstract

This article examines the means of expressing agent-oriented modality in Finnish from a developmental perspective with particular attention to directives, especially requests. For this purpose the spontaneous speech of two children, aged 1;7-2;6, as well as that of their caregivers is analyzed. The kinds of formal means used in early child language as well as their functions are traced in the course of time. The results show a wide variety of expressions with directive functions in child-directed speech as well as child speech. The first directives to emerge in child speech are 2nd person singular imperatives and verbless requests followed soon by simple passive forms. Modal expressions occurring in child speech include most of the types found in child-directed speech, excluding certain more indirect and polite expressions such as conditional forms, suggestions formulated as questions, and passive forms mitigated in different ways.

Abstract

This article examines the means of expressing agent-oriented modality in Finnish from a developmental perspective with particular attention to directives, especially requests. For this purpose the spontaneous speech of two children, aged 1;7-2;6, as well as that of their caregivers is analyzed. The kinds of formal means used in early child language as well as their functions are traced in the course of time. The results show a wide variety of expressions with directive functions in child-directed speech as well as child speech. The first directives to emerge in child speech are 2nd person singular imperatives and verbless requests followed soon by simple passive forms. Modal expressions occurring in child speech include most of the types found in child-directed speech, excluding certain more indirect and polite expressions such as conditional forms, suggestions formulated as questions, and passive forms mitigated in different ways.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. List of abbreviations used in the present volume VII
  4. Studying the acquisition of modality: An introduction 1
  5. Requests in first language acquisition of German: Evidence from high and low SES families 25
  6. Gender differences in the acquisition of requests in Lithuanian 79
  7. Development of directive expressions in Russian adult–child communication 113
  8. Acquisition of modality in Croatian 159
  9. Competition of grammatical forms in the expression of directives in early French child speech and child-directed speech 191
  10. On the acquisition of dynamic, deontic and epistemic uses of modal verbs in Romanian 235
  11. Development of modality in early Greek language acquisition 255
  12. Acquisition of requests in Estonian 315
  13. Directives in Finnish language acquisition 347
  14. Modality in child Hebrew 379
  15. Epistemic modality in Russian child language 421
  16. Epistemic and evidential modality in early Turkish child speech 453
  17. The development of sentence-ending epistemic/evidential markers in young Korean children 491
  18. The acquisition of evidentiality in two Mayan languages, Yukatek and Tojolabal 525
  19. Conclusions 555
  20. List of Contributors 575
  21. Subject Index 577
https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501504457-010

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. List of abbreviations used in the present volume VII
  4. Studying the acquisition of modality: An introduction 1
  5. Requests in first language acquisition of German: Evidence from high and low SES families 25
  6. Gender differences in the acquisition of requests in Lithuanian 79
  7. Development of directive expressions in Russian adult–child communication 113
  8. Acquisition of modality in Croatian 159
  9. Competition of grammatical forms in the expression of directives in early French child speech and child-directed speech 191
  10. On the acquisition of dynamic, deontic and epistemic uses of modal verbs in Romanian 235
  11. Development of modality in early Greek language acquisition 255
  12. Acquisition of requests in Estonian 315
  13. Directives in Finnish language acquisition 347
  14. Modality in child Hebrew 379
  15. Epistemic modality in Russian child language 421
  16. Epistemic and evidential modality in early Turkish child speech 453
  17. The development of sentence-ending epistemic/evidential markers in young Korean children 491
  18. The acquisition of evidentiality in two Mayan languages, Yukatek and Tojolabal 525
  19. Conclusions 555
  20. List of Contributors 575
  21. Subject Index 577
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