Competing grammars in language acquisition: the case of resumption in Persion relative clauses

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dc.contributor.authorAbdollahnejad, Elias
dc.date.accessioned2018-11-05T18:20:53Z
dc.date.available2018-11-05T18:20:53Z
dc.date.issued2018-11-05
dc.description.abstractRoeper (1999), Yang (2002), and Amaral and Roeper (2014) propose that all learners develop competing, even incompatible analyses of input as they work towards the target grammar. Using the term universal bilingualism, Roeper (1999) posits the existence of such Multiple Grammars (MG) and explores their role in first language acquisition. This paper discusses this proposal in the context of Persian children’s acquisition of resumption. In Persian, resumption is obligatory in object-of-preposition and genitive relative clauses (RCs) (Taghvaipour, 2005) and can be used optionally in subject and object RCs (Windfuhr, 2010). This behaviour makes it an appropriate construction to study the MG approach. Data from three Persian children (ages 1;11 to 4;2) in the CHILDES database (MacWhinney, 2000) were investigated for the frequency of RCs to see if there is a preference for resumption or gap in RCs. Results show that, in spite of variation in the received input, children prefer not to use resumption in subject and object RCs. However, 100% use of resumption in object-of-preposition and genitive RCs in their production data was observed. Despite optionality as a property of the input, children’s grammars appear to be categorical. Thus, children do not seem to be sensitive to variation in the input, which does not completely support Yang’s (2002) claim about the role of frequency of different forms in their dominance. The results confirm the presence of competing sub-grammars (resumption & gap) in both input and output from the early levels of language exposure and production.en_US
dc.identifier.citationAbdollahnejad, E. (2018). Competing grammars in language acquisition: the case of resumption in Persian relative clauses. In E. Abdollahnejad, D. Abu Amsha, K. Burkinshaw, A.D. Daniel, & B.C. Nelson (eds.), Calgary Working Papers in Linguistics, 30(Fall), 1-14.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/33245
dc.identifier.issn2371-2643
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/108950
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherCalgary Working Papers in Linguisticsen_US
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures & Culturesen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArtsen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0en_US
dc.subjectrelative clauseen_US
dc.subjectresumptionen_US
dc.subjectmultiple grammarsen_US
dc.subjectVariational Learning Modelen_US
dc.subjectPersianen_US
dc.subjectFarsien_US
dc.titleCompeting grammars in language acquisition: the case of resumption in Persion relative clausesen_US
dc.typejournal articleen_US
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