Publications

Publication details [#7731]

Preez, Peter Du. 1974. Units of information in the acquisition of language. Language and Speech 17 : 369–376.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English

Annotation

P. argues that the child learns language in melodic units called 'tone groups', which are units of information. The focus of what the speaker wants to convey is found in the tonic. This notion is said to account not only for language acquisition, and in particular the holophrastic period, but also for adult telegraphic ellipsis toward children.