The Emergence of Subjects in Lebanese Two-Year-Olds
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| Title: | The Emergence of Subjects in Lebanese Two-Year-Olds |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Layal Abboud (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Child Language. 2024 51(1):234-247. |
| Availability: | Cambridge University Press. 100 Brook Hill Drive, West Nyack, NY 10994. Tel: 800-872-7423; Tel: 845-353-7500; Fax: 845-353-4141; e-mail: subscriptions_newyork@cambridge.org; Web site: https://www.cambridge.org/core/what-we-publish/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Arabic, Toddlers, Language Acquisition, Child Language, Syntax, Word Order, Sentence Structure, Structural Grammar, Mothers |
| Geographic Terms: | Lebanon |
| DOI: | 10.1017/S0305000922000587 |
| ISSN: | 0305-0009 1469-7602 |
| Abstract: | In Lebanese Arabic, lexical subjects may occur before or after verbs, but only before non-verbal predicates. Analysis of spontaneous language samples from 19 two-year-old children shows that postverbal (VS) and preverbal (SV) subjects emerge simultaneously. The youngest children displayed no VS-SV difference in frequency. A slight preference for SV is observed in older children. No preference for SV subjects was found in the speech of the mothers of the younger or older children. Lexical subjects systematically appeared before non-verbal predicates. We interpret these results as evidence for early knowledge of syntactic movement, consistent with Wexler's (1998) Very Early Parameter Setting. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1485722 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | In Lebanese Arabic, lexical subjects may occur before or after verbs, but only before non-verbal predicates. Analysis of spontaneous language samples from 19 two-year-old children shows that postverbal (VS) and preverbal (SV) subjects emerge simultaneously. The youngest children displayed no VS-SV difference in frequency. A slight preference for SV is observed in older children. No preference for SV subjects was found in the speech of the mothers of the younger or older children. Lexical subjects systematically appeared before non-verbal predicates. We interpret these results as evidence for early knowledge of syntactic movement, consistent with Wexler's (1998) Very Early Parameter Setting. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0305-0009 1469-7602 |
| DOI: | 10.1017/S0305000922000587 |
