Article published in:
Generative Linguistics and Acquisition: Studies in honor of Nina M. HyamsEdited by Misha Becker, John Grinstead and Jason Rothman
[Language Acquisition and Language Disorders 54] 2013
► pp. 249–270
There-insertion
How Internal Merge guides the acquisition path
Tom Roeper | University of Massachusetts
Merge Theory divides into Internal Merge (IM) (move) and External Merge (select). What does this imply for the acquisition path? Spontaneous early acquisition evidence supports Chomsky’s (2012) claim that Internal Merge (move) is conceptually simpler than External Merge and therefore should occur first, as in (adam10 dere [: there’s] a bag car), contrary to the general view that Move is more complex. Anaphoric-there, which involves binding, is delayed. Unlike Nishigauchi and Roeper (1987) and Sigusdottir (2011) who have sought to explain acquisition in terms of reference or “3rd factors”, this modernized view of parameters supports Hyams (1986) on the role of there-insertion and Holmberg (2010) on parametric clusters. We also illustrate how both anaphoric and expletive work in the complex pragmatic environment that a child experiences. Keywords: Internal Merge; multiple grammars; Null Pronouns; there-insertion; Move-over-Merge; Null Subject Parameter
Published online: 18 April 2013
https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.54.10roe
https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.54.10roe
Cited by
Cited by other publications
Chomsky, Noam
Roeper, Tom
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