Developing structural specification: Productivity in early Hebrew verb usage. Issue 1 (February 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lustigman, Lyle
• Is Part Of: First language. Volume 33:Issue 1(2013)
• Page Start: 47
• Page End: 67
• Publication Date: 2013-02
• Subjects: early grammar -- Hebrew -- inflections -- morphology–syntax interface -- productivity; Language acquisition -- Periodicals; 401.9305
• DOI: 10.1177/0142723711426828
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0142-7237

Abstract

The study investigates acquisition of verb inflections by four monolingual Hebrew-acquiring children from middle-class backgrounds, audio-recorded in longitudinal, weekly samples at a mean age-range of between 18 and 26 months. Productive use of inflectional morphology is shown to manifest increasing structural specification, as a function of children's developing knowledge of morphology–syntax interfaces illustrated by Subject–Verb agreement. The verbs used by all four children evolve from non-specified stem-like forms via sporadic structural alternations to initial productivity in the use of largely under-specified inflected forms. This process of increasing structural specification is interpreted as reflecting paradigmatic/syntagmatic interfacings in developing grammatical productivity, such that eventually a full range of inflectional contrasts is manifested in all and only appropriate syntactic environments.