Chapter published in:
Typical and Impaired Processing in MorphosyntaxEdited by Vincent Torrens
[Language Acquisition and Language Disorders 64] 2020
► pp. 279–302
The comprehension of wh-questions and passives in German children and adolescents with Down syndrome
Eva Wimmer | TU Dortmund University
Martina Penke | University of Cologne
Children with Down syndrome (DS) have difficulty comprehending complex syntactic structures. Ring and Clahsen (2005) attribute these problems to a specific syntactic deficit that affects A(=argument) movement. We investigated the comprehension of passive sentences (A-movement) and wh-questions (wh-movement) in 22 German children and adolescents with DS compared to mental-age matched typically developing children. The results suggest that an impairment in the syntactic development affecting also wh-movement structures occurs in a substantial proportion of children with DS and exceeds their general cognitive disabilities. The error patterns of both tests reveal problems with non-canonical clauses and the use of the Agent-first strategy as in early stages of typical acquisition. Moreover, limitations in phonological working memory might contribute to syntactic processing problems in individuals with DS.
Keywords: Down syndrome, developmental disorders, language impairment, language comprehension,
wh-questions, passive sentences, sentence-comprehension deficits
Article outline
- 1.Introduction: Sentence comprehension problems in individuals with Down syndrome
- 1.1Aim of paper and research questions
- 1.2Structure and acquisition of German wh-questions and passives
- Structure of passives and wh-questions: A-movement and A′-movement
- Acquisition of questions and passives in German
- 2.Method
- 2.1Participants
- 2.2Measures
- 2.2.1Standardized passive comprehension test (TSVK)
- 2.2.2Comprehension of wh-questions
- 2.2.3Background measures: General grammar comprehension and phonological working memory
- 2.3Data analysis
- 3.Results
- 3.1Results of the passive test (TSVK)
- 3.2.Results of the who-question comprehension task
- 3.3Results of background measures: TROG-D and NWR
- 3.4Comparison of tests and correlational analyses
- 4.Discussion
- 5.Conclusion
-
Acknowledgements -
Notes -
References
Published online: 21 October 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.64.12wim
https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.64.12wim
References
Abbeduto, L., Murphy, M. M., Cawthon, S. W., Richmond, E. K., Weissman, M. D., Karadottir, S., & O’Brien, A.
Abbeduto, L., Warren, S. F., & Conners, F. A.
Abbot-Smith, K., & Behrens, H.
Aktas, M.
(2004)
Sprachentwicklungsdiagnostik bei Kindern mit Down- Syndrom. Entwicklung eines diagnostischen Leitfadens zum theoriegeleiteten Einsatz standardisierter Verfahren
(Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Bielefeld. Retrieved from https://pub.uni-bielefeld.de/publication/2302157 (4 May, 2020).
Aschermann, E., Gülzow, I., & Wendt, D.
Baddeley, A., & Jarrold, C.
Baddeley, A., Gathercole, S., & Papagno, C.
Bartke, S.
Bever, T. G.
Bridges, A., & Smith, J. V.
Caplan, D., Baker, C., & Dehaut, F.
Chapman, R. S., Hesketh, L. J., & Kistler, D. J.
Chapman, R. S., Schwartz, S. E., & Bird, E. K.
Clahsen, H., Kursawe, C., & Penke, M.
Eisenbeiss, S.
Eriks-Brophy, A., Goodluck, H., & Stojanovic
Fowler, A. E.
Fox, A. V.
Grimm, H.
Grodzinsky, Y.
Joffe, V., & Varlokosta, S.
Laws, G., & Gunn, D.
Miolo, G., Chapman, R. S., & Sindberg, H. A.
Næss, K.-A. B., Lyster, S.-A. H., Hulme, C., & Melby-Lervåg, M.
Penke, M.
Penner, Z., & Kölliker Funk, M.
Perovic, A.
Ring, M., & Clahsen, H.
Roberts, J. E., Chapman, R. S., Martin, G. E., & Moskowitz, L.
Roesch, A. D., & Chondrogianni, V.
Rubin, M.
Sanoudaki, E., & Varlokosta, S.
Schaner-Wolless, C., Binder H., & Tamchina, D.
Schlesewsky, M., Fanselow, G., Kliegl, R., & Krems, J.
Siegmüller, J., Herzog, C., & Herrmann, H.
Siegmüller, J., Kauschke, C., van Minnen, S., & Bittner, D.
Tellegen, P. J., Laros, J. A., & Petermann, F.
Thordardottir, E. T., Chapman, R. S., & Wagner, L.
Tsakiridou, M.
Vallar, G., & Baddeley, A.
Wimmer, E., Rothweiler, M., & Penke, M.