Binominals and potential competitors in language development: Evidence from Swedish
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Maria Rosenberg
Abstract
The present study addresses competing binominal types in Swedish language development. It is based on diary data from one child and longitudinal recordings from four children between the ages 1-3. In Swedish, binominal lexemes correspond most often to NN compounding: one of the earliest word-formation patterns acquired by children; and a way to combine concepts to express different semantic relations. Still, other nominal constructions with genitives, adjectives, prepositions, or subordinators can express similar basic semantic relations, thus being competing binominal types in Swedish. In the data, the emergence and later establishment of different binominal types (syntactic or morphological) follow similar developmental paths among the children. NN compounds emerge the first, but once nominal constructions that contain prepositions or subordinators (som ‘that’ or ‘as/like’) become established, they constitute the strongest competitors to NN compounds, especially for descriptive purposes. The study suggests that Swedish-speaking children’s early use of compounding could be a cognitively motivated option, since it implies a rather simple juxtaposition of two nouns, with little semantic specification. Over time, however, children gradually master to express the semantic relation between two concepts also through syntactic means, although NN compounding remains an open and well entrenched pattern for conceptual combination.
Abstract
The present study addresses competing binominal types in Swedish language development. It is based on diary data from one child and longitudinal recordings from four children between the ages 1-3. In Swedish, binominal lexemes correspond most often to NN compounding: one of the earliest word-formation patterns acquired by children; and a way to combine concepts to express different semantic relations. Still, other nominal constructions with genitives, adjectives, prepositions, or subordinators can express similar basic semantic relations, thus being competing binominal types in Swedish. In the data, the emergence and later establishment of different binominal types (syntactic or morphological) follow similar developmental paths among the children. NN compounds emerge the first, but once nominal constructions that contain prepositions or subordinators (som ‘that’ or ‘as/like’) become established, they constitute the strongest competitors to NN compounds, especially for descriptive purposes. The study suggests that Swedish-speaking children’s early use of compounding could be a cognitively motivated option, since it implies a rather simple juxtaposition of two nouns, with little semantic specification. Over time, however, children gradually master to express the semantic relation between two concepts also through syntactic means, although NN compounding remains an open and well entrenched pattern for conceptual combination.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Exploring complex lexemes cross-linguistically 1
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Part 1: Form (morphosyntactic strategies)
- Defining and typologizing binominal lexemes 21
- Binominals and construct marking 73
- Compounds and other nominal modifier constructions in Pama-Nyungan languages 103
- New types of binominal lexeme in Anindilyakwa (Australia) 153
- Binominals in Äiwoo: Compounds, possessive constructions, and transitional cases 181
- NN.gen and NArel juxtapositions in Polish: Syntactic schemas employed in building phrasal nouns 213
- The derivational use of classifiers in Western Amazonia 237
- Binominals denoting instruments: A contrastive perspective 277
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Part 2: Meaning (semantic relations)
- Hatcher-Bourque: Towards a reusable classification of semantic relations 303
- Binominal strategies and semantic correlations in Turkic languages 355
- A classification of compounds in Karachay-Balkar 381
- Binominal lexemes in Moksha and Hill Mari 401
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Part 3: Acquisition
- Binominals and potential competitors in language development: Evidence from Swedish 429
- List of contributors 463
- Index of Subjects 465
- Index of Languages 471
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Exploring complex lexemes cross-linguistically 1
-
Part 1: Form (morphosyntactic strategies)
- Defining and typologizing binominal lexemes 21
- Binominals and construct marking 73
- Compounds and other nominal modifier constructions in Pama-Nyungan languages 103
- New types of binominal lexeme in Anindilyakwa (Australia) 153
- Binominals in Äiwoo: Compounds, possessive constructions, and transitional cases 181
- NN.gen and NArel juxtapositions in Polish: Syntactic schemas employed in building phrasal nouns 213
- The derivational use of classifiers in Western Amazonia 237
- Binominals denoting instruments: A contrastive perspective 277
-
Part 2: Meaning (semantic relations)
- Hatcher-Bourque: Towards a reusable classification of semantic relations 303
- Binominal strategies and semantic correlations in Turkic languages 355
- A classification of compounds in Karachay-Balkar 381
- Binominal lexemes in Moksha and Hill Mari 401
-
Part 3: Acquisition
- Binominals and potential competitors in language development: Evidence from Swedish 429
- List of contributors 463
- Index of Subjects 465
- Index of Languages 471
