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Article published In:
Child Language Variation: Sociolinguistic and formal approaches
Edited by Véronique Lacoste and Lisa Green
[Linguistic Variation 16:1] 2016
► pp. 103–130

Third person singular -s and event marking in child African American English

This paper discusses 3rd person singular -s in the language of three- to six-year-old developing AAE speakers, in relation to early stages of zero 3rd person singular -s (Øs) and overt s marking. Data include a sentence repetition task and a story retell task. The speakers’ 3rd person singular -s and Øs marking are examined as a function of age, verb type, allomorph, and verb coordination. Analyses are presented to support the claim that the 3rd person singular marker -s is not part of the AAE grammar although children produce the marker in certain contexts. The speakers’ 3rd person singular -s and Øs marking are also discussed in relation to the optional root infinitive stage and the Multiple Grammars approach.
Keywords: multiple grammars, optional infinitive stage, event marking, African American English, third person singular -s
Published online: 13 October 2016
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https://doi.org/10.1075/lv.16.1.05new
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