The acquisition of reference in twoyearolds

1
The acquisition of reference in two-year-olds

• a cross-linguistic perspective
• Margot Rozendaal - University of Amsterdam
• ELA, 9 December 2005, Lyon

2
Background

• Reference involves knowledge of morpho-syntax and
  pragmatics
• Examples
• 1) I saw a woman this morning. She had green
  hair.
• 2) - Whats that?
• - Dont you know? Its a beamer.

3
The importance of reference
4
Background (contd)

• Earlier research either morpho-syntax or
  pragmatics
• This research combines insights from the
  acquisition of both morpho-syntax and pragmatics

Literature Forms e.g. Chiat 1986, Pine and
Lieven 1997 Function e.g. Hickmann 2003
5
Questions and Assumptions

• Combination of forms and functions?
• Full or partial Theory of Mind
• Universal and language-specific influences on the
  acquisition of form-function combinations?
• Role of structure of language being acquired

Literature e.g. Brown 1973, Hickmann 1983,
Schaeffer et.al. 2005
6
Method

• Languages Dutch (n3), English (n3), French
  (n4).
• Age of children 20 - 33, every three months.
• Reference to persons and objects (NPs)
• Morpho-syntactic form
• Pragmatic function
• Combination of form and function
• Optimal / non-optimal reference ( errors)

CHILDES MacWhinney 2005
7
Indefinite determiner
Literature, e.g. Gundel 1996 Ariel 1996 Hickmann
2003

• Adult usage introduction, labeling, non-specific
  reference, maintenance, shift
• Child language examples
• Intro CHI Holding a basket (Nina, E, 20)
• Label INV Qu' est ce que cest ?
• What is this?
• CHI Une grenouille (Anne, F, 23)
• A frog
• Non-specific CHI Nog een koekje (Sarah, D,
  23)
• Another cookie

8
Definite determiner

• Adult usage introduction (mutual knowledge),
  shift, maintenance, labeling, non-specific
  reference.
• Child language examples
• Maint INV Did Jennifer go on the fire engine?
• CHI No cant goes on the fire engine (Peter,
  E, 26)
• Shift MOT Wat doe je met je handen tegen je
  oren?
• What are you doing with your hands against
  your ears?
• CHI Doe op, de hand (Abel, D, 23)
• Put on, the hand
• Label CHI Cest la piscine! (Anne, F, 30)
• That is the swimming pool!

Literature Gundel 1996 Ariel 1996 Hickmann 2003
9
Determiner development
Literature Kupisch 2004 Avrutin et al 2004 Lléo
et.al 1999
10
Indefinite / Definite Dutch
11
Indefinite / Definite English
12
Indefinite / Definite French
13
Results Determiners

• Indefinites labeling and non-specific reference
• Definites/demonstratives introduction,
  maintenance and shift
• French definite/demonstrative det. for labeling
  and non-specific reference
• English indefinites used for maintenance and
  shift
• Dutch later acquisition of determiner

14
Personal / Demonstrative Pronouns

• Adult usage maintenance, shift, (some)
  introduction
• Child language examples
• Intro CHI mummy, put that back up there (Adam,
  E, 30)
• Maint FAT waar is de piano?
• where is the piano?
• CHI das ? boven (Matthijs, D, 26)
• That one ? (is) upstairs
• Shift FAT Tu la mettes dans la cuiller ?
• You put it (a bubble) on the spoon?
• CHI elle veut pas (Philippe, F, 26)
• she does not want

15
Personal / Demonstrative Dutch
16
Personal / Demonstrative French
17
Personal / Demonstrative English
18
Results Pronouns

• Personal pronoun maintenance and shift
• Demonstrative pronoun introduction
• Dutch demonstrative pronoun also for maintenance
  and shift unlike English and French

19
Conclusions

• Universal patterns
• Form-function combinations in the direction of
  adult-like pattern already at 20
• Therefore cannot be the case that a full ToM is
  required
• Language specific patterns
• Structure of language being acquired leads to
  differences in acquisition of form-function
  combinations

20
Next steps (Rozendaal, in prep.)

• Grammatical match versus age match
• (Earlier) acquisition of form triggers (earlier)
  use for function?
• Use of nouns versus pronouns versus proper names
  for pragmatic functions
• Situation types (no mutual / mutual knowledge,
  physically present)
• Non-optimal reference ( errors)
• Analysis of input language

21
The acquisition of reference in two-year-olds
Contact m.i.rozendaal_at_uva.nl http//home.medewerk
er.uva.nl/m.i.rozendaal/
22
Literature

• Ariel, M. (1996). Referring Expressions and the
  /- Coreference Distinction. Reference and
  Referent Accessibility. T. Fretheim, Gundel, J.K.
  Amsterdam, John Benjamins 13-37.
• Avrutin, S., de Lange, J. (2004). Children don't
  read newspapers and yet.... A cross-linguistic
  comparison of child utterances and newspaper
  headlines. Paper presented at 2nd Lisbon Meeting
  on Language Acquisition, Lisbon.
• Brown, R. (1973). A First Language The early
  stages. Cambrige, MA, Harvard University Press.
• Chiat, S. (1986). Personal pronouns. Language
  Acquisition. P. Fletcher, Garman, M. Cambridge,
  Cambridge University Press 339-355.
• Gundel, J. K. (1996). Relevance theory meets the
  givenness hierarchy. Reference and Referent
  Accessibility. T. Fretheim, Gundel, J.K.
  Amsterdam, John Benjamins 141-153.
• Hickmann, M. (2003). Children's Discourse
  Person, Space and Time across Languages.
  Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
• Kupisch, T. (2004). On the relation between input
  frequency and acquisition patterns from a
  cross-linguistic perspective. Proceedings of
  GALA. I. J. v. K. S. Baauw, LOT Occasional Series
  3.

23
Literature (contd)

• Lléo, C. (2001). The interface of phonology and
  syntax The emergence of the article in the early
  acquisition of Spanish and German. Approaches to
  Bootstrapping Phonological, Lexical, Syntactic
  and Neurophysiological Aspects of Early Language
  Acquisition. J. Weissenborn, Höhle, B.
  Amsterdam/Philsdelphia, John Benjamins.
• MacWhinney, B. (2000). The CHILDES Project Tools
  for Analyzing Talk. Hillsdale, N.J.,Lawrence
  Erlbaum.
• Pine, J. M. and E. V. M. Lieven (1997). "Slot and
  Frame Patterns and the Development of the
  Determiner Category." Applied Psycholinguistics
  18(2) 123-138.
• Rozendaal (in prep). The acquisition of the
  morpho-syntax and pragmatics of reference A
  cross-linguistic perspective, PhD-thesis,
  University of Amsterdam
• Schaeffer, J. and L. Matthewson (2005). "Grammar
  and Pragmatics in the Acquisition of Article
  Systems." Natural Language Linguistic Theory
  23(1) 53-101.