ERIC Number: EJ962980
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1048-9223
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
LF "Wh"-Movement and Its Locality Constraints in Child Japanese
Sugisaki, Koji
Language Acquisition: A Journal of Developmental Linguistics, v19 n2 p174-181 2012
In natural languages, the mapping from surface form to meaning is often quite complex, and hence the acquisition of the phenomena at the boundary between syntax and semantics has been one of the central issues in current acquisition research. This study addresses the issue of whether children have adult-like knowledge of LF "wh"-movement and its locality constraints. The results of my experiment demonstrate that knowledge of these properties is already in the grammar of Japanese-speaking preschool children. These results corroborate the findings of previous acquisition research on overt "wh"-movement that even preschool children conform to locality conditions on movement. This finding supports the continuity hypothesis (e.g., Crain & Thornton 1998) from a new perspective, in that the relevant movement occurs in the LF component and hence is invisible in the input children receive. (Contains 10 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Syntax, Semantics, Japanese, Preschool Children, Language Acquisition, Linguistic Theory, Child Language, Language Research, Grammar
Psychology Press. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A