Lesson 8 and 9: Syntactic Development

verbal-vocal transition forms

toddler, CV syllable preceding or following word, "ma baby" or "baby ba"

empty forms

toddler, more phonetically consistent addition but no meaning, "beda milk", "beda cookie"

repetition of single utterance

toddler, "doggie doggie"

two words learned as a unit

toddler, "all-gone", "so-big"

produce single successive words

toddler, "mommy (pause, decrease pitch) mine"

toddler syntax rules

agent + action, entity +location, action + object, possessor + possession, agent + object, entity + attribute, action + location, demonstrative + entity

agent + action + object

toddler initial multiword combination, "baby eat cookie"

agent + action + location

toddler initial multiword combination, "daddy go bye-bye"

Linear Semantic Rules (Brown's Stage I)

mainly content words, 1 and 2 word utterances (a + noun, that + noun), later on - possession, qualifiers, and phys. attributes, N +N, N + V, V + N, more + noun, 12-26 months, lead up to 3 and 4 word sentences

Morphological Development (Brown's Stage II)

begin to use inflectional morphemes. articles, possession, prepositions, copula, auxiliary, tense, etc., simple active declarative sentence type, "I eat cookies", elaboration (first appears in the object position), 27-30 months

Sentence-Form Development (Brown's Stage III)

use elaboration in the object and agent position, manipulate the classic subject + verb + object for different meanings, understands the obligatory "do", transformations, 31-34 months

plausible event

preschool learning, using what you know about routine/context

route learning

preschool learning, using selective imitation in a context, saying something the same way everytime

bootstrapping

preschool learning, using what you know about language

Embedding of Sentence Elements (Brown's Stage IV)

sticking in clauses or other phrases, embedding starts at the end of sentences, complex sentences, phrase: a group of related words that does not include both a subject and a predicate, clause: a group of words that contain both a subject and a predicate, 35-40 months

Conjoining of Sentence Elements (Brown's Stage V)

passive transformations appear, conjoining becomes prolific, 41-46 months

syntax rules for school-age children

grammar for indirect requests, grammar is greater in exposition than in conversation, pronouns used more skillfully, "cause" clauses used to link causes to effects, passive sentences that are reversible

instrumental

inanimate, non-living thing

agentive

animate, living thing

agentive nonreversible (school age)

the bridge was built by the workers

instrumental nonreversible

the bridge was obstructed by the tractor

refined conjoining

school-age, causal, conditional (if), disjunctive (but, or, although), temporal (when, before, after, then)

refined embedding

school-age, clausal embedding (S+V+O+ relative clause), center embedding (S+ relative clause +V+O, new relative pronouns (whose, whom, in which)

refined verb tense

aa, decrease in overgeneralization, increase in auxiliary use (would've, could've, should've)

refined passive sentences

aa, include "by" and "with", often used for instrumental non reversible

aa conjoining

adds cohesion to compare or contrast ideas

aa embedding

relative pronouns used explicitly, dependent clauses clarify intention

adverbial disjuncts

aa, used to express opinions

adverbial conjuncts

aa, used to draw connections