Language and the learning curve [Texte imprimé] : a new theory of syntactic development / Anat Ninio

Index

Bibliogr. p. [151]-185

Introduction -- Valency -- Linguistic approaches to valency and syntactic structure -- Implication for acquisition : syntax is simple -- Developmental evidence : the earliest word combinations are syntactic mergers -- Conclusions : children learn to merge two words according to their valency -- The learning curve -- The learning curve in cognitive psychology -- Implication for acquisition : syntax should transfer right away -- Developmental evidence : learning curves and generalizations in early syntax -- Conclusions : lexical-specific syntactic frames facilitate others -- Lexicalism --The linguistic basis to lexicalism -- Implication for acquisition : no abstract schema formation -- Developmental evidence : no change in the form of syntactic schemas -- Conclusions : children learn a lexicalist syntax -- Similarity -- Similarity for transfer and generalization -- Implication for acquisition : no role for semantic linking in learning syntax -- Developmental evidence : no semantic effects in generalization and transfer -- Conclusions : children utilize similarity of form to organize the process of acquisition -- The growth of syntax -- The language web -- Implication for acquisition : learning means linking to the network -- Developmental evidence : children recreate the global features of the maternal network -- Conclusions : children join the language network