<OT> New Posting: ROA-697

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 697-1104

Children's optimal interpretations of indefinite subjects and objects

Irene Krämer <ikramer at let.ru.nl>
Helen de Hoop <helen.dehoop at let.uu.nl>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=697


Abstract:

We find a general, language-independent pattern in child
language acquisition in which there is a clear difference
between subject and object noun phrases. On the one hand,
indefinite objects tend to be interpreted non-referentially,
independently of word order and across experiments and languages.
On the other hand, indefinite subjects tend to be interpreted
referentially in most contexts, even in contexts where adults
would favour a non-referential reading. In this article
we offer an explanation for this pattern within the framework
of bidirectional Optimality Theory. This explanation will
focus on clarifying in what sense children's interpretations
deviate from the adult interpretations, and clarifying the
nature of the linguistic knowledge that the 4-year old child
will need to acquire in order to become a competent, adult-like
speaker and hearer of her language.

Comments: submitted
Keywords: indefinites, language acquisition, bidirectional OT
Areas: Semantics,Language Acquisition,Psycholinguistics
Type: Journal Article

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=697