The Acquisition of Word Order
Micro-cues, information structure, and economy
Author
Within a new model of language acquisition, this book discusses verb second (V2) word order in situations where there is variation in the input. While traditional generative accounts consider V2 to be a parameter, this study shows that, in many languages, this word order is dependent on fine distinctions in syntax and information structure. Thus, within a split-CP model of clause structure, a number of micro-cues are formulated, taking into account the specific context for V2 vs. non-V2 (clause type, subcategory of the elements involved, etc.). The micro-cues are produced in children’s I-language grammars on exposure to the relevant input. Focusing on a dialect of Norwegian, the book shows that children generally produce target-consistent V2 and non-V2 from early on, indicating that they are sensitive to the micro-cues. This includes contexts where word order is dependent on information structure. The children’s occasional non-target-consistent behavior is accounted for by economy principles.
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today, 145] 2009. xii, 245 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
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Acknowledgements | pp. xi–xii
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Preliminaries | pp. 1–12
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Word order variation and the structure of the target language | pp. 13–32
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The of V2 and a of-cues | pp. 33–62
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The input | pp. 63–76
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The acquisition of word order in non-subject-initial declaratives | pp. 77–106
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The acquisition of word order in subject-initial declaratives | pp. 107–132
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The acquisition of word order in wh-questions | pp. 133–164
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The acquisition of word order in yes/no-questions | pp. 165–182
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The acquisition of word order in non-V2 contexts | pp. 183–198
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Micro-cues, information structure, and economy | pp. 199–224
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Appendix | pp. 237–242
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Index | pp. 243–246
“I very much enjoyed reading the book and would strongly recommend it to acquisitionists and syntacticians alike. Overall, I found the model of micro-cues that Westergaard develops very appealing, and I hope that she will provide us with some of the answers of my remaining questions in her future work, which I look forward to reading.”
Bernadette Plunkett, in Journal of Linguistics 47: 746-753, 2011
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Subjects
Main BIC Subject
CFK: Grammar, syntax
Main BISAC Subject
LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General