The roles of linguistic context and verbal working memory on third person –s use in the speech of young children

Denise Andree Finneran, Purdue University

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of speech input and information processing demands associated with the input in the use of the third person –s morpheme with novel verbs in young children with normal language development. The study was specifically designed to examine how manipulations of processing demands within particular syntactic constructions influence young children’s use of the third person –s morpheme with novel verbs. Novel verbs were presented to young, typically-developing, native English-speaking children either in statements (in which the verb was marked with the third person – s morpheme) or in questions (in which the verb was unmarked). The questions and statements were manipulated for length such that half of the questions and half of the statements presented to the child had adjectives modifying the subject. Children were then prompted to use the novel verbs in finite contexts. Analyses revealed, as predicted, that there was a significant effect for Syntax, in which the children marked the third person – s morpheme on the novel verbs with greater frequency when the verbs were presented with the –s morpheme (in statements) than when the verbs were presented in unmarked form (in questions). There was no effect for the length manipulations, however. The significant effect for Syntax suggests that accounts that attribute the variability in third person –s marking solely to child-internal factors such as delayed emergence of a linguistic principle or difficulty with particular phonetic contexts must be supplemented by provisions that acknowledge the role of the input.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Leonard, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Linguistics|Speech therapy|Developmental psychology

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