Ergativity in Mayan languages is realized in the cross-referencing features on verbs rather than as case marking features on noun phrases. Overt absolutive markers appear with intransitive verbs. Some Mayan languages extend the ergative markers to intransitive verbs in aspectless complement clauses. The languages also make changes to transitive verbs in the same aspectless contexts. We evaluate how Mam, Q’anjob’al and Yucatec children acquire the extension of the ergative markers to intransitive verbs and the changes to transitive verbs in aspectless clauses. In each language we analyzed data of three children in the age range of 2;0 to 3;0. Our findings show that: (i) although the three languages have similar patterns of extended ergativity, children are sensitive to language-specific constraints on extended ergativity; (ii) the input frequency does not predict the acquisition of extended ergativity. We conclude that the structure of each language is responsible for the acquisition of extended ergativity.
2022. The role of frequency in the acquisition of structured variation: The case of Basque ergativity. International Journal of Bilingualism 26:5 ► pp. 656 ff.
PYE, Clifton
2021. Documenting the acquisition of indigenous languages. Journal of Child Language 48:3 ► pp. 454 ff.
Pye, Clifton
2022. Exploring language diversity: A commentary on Kidd and Garcia (2022). First Language 42:6 ► pp. 799 ff.
Pye, Clifton
2024. A prosodic account of complex predicate acquisition in Mam: A Mayan language. First Language
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