The acquisition of word order : micro-cues, information structure, and economy
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The acquisition of word order : micro-cues, information structure, and economy
（Linguistik aktuell, v. 145）
John Benjamins, c2009
- : hb
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [225]-235) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Within a new model of language acquisition, this book discusses verb second (V2) word order in situations where there is variation in the input. While traditional generative accounts consider V2 to be a parameter, this study shows that, in many languages, this word order is dependent on fine distinctions in syntax and information structure. Thus, within a split-CP model of clause structure, a number of micro-cues are formulated, taking into account the specific context for V2 vs. non-V2 (clause type, subcategory of the elements involved, etc.). The micro-cues are produced in children's I-language grammars on exposure to the relevant input. Focusing on a dialect of Norwegian, the book shows that children generally produce target-consistent V2 and non-V2 from early on, indicating that they are sensitive to the micro-cues. This includes contexts where word order is dependent on information structure. The children's occasional non-target-consistent behavior is accounted for by economy principles.
Table of Contents
- 1. Acknowledgements
- 2. Preliminaries
- 3. Word order variation and the structure of the target language
- 4. The of V2 and a of-cues
- 5. The input
- 6. The acquisition of word order in non-subject-initial declaratives
- 7. The acquisition of word order in subject-initial declaratives
- 8. The acquisition of word order in wh-questions
- 9. The acquisition of word order in yes/no-questions
- 10. The acquisition of word order in non-V2 contexts
- 11. Micro-cues, information structure, and economy
- 12. References
- 13. Appendix
- 14. Index
by "Nielsen BookData"
