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Different rates of pronoun case error: comments on Rispoli (1998)
1Department of Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles 90095-1543, USA. cschutze@ucla.edu
Journal of Child Language
|December 22, 1999
Summary
This study challenges a model of child pronoun case errors, finding that overextensions of "he" and "him" are not mutually exclusive. It suggests input frequencies better explain error patterns than previous theories.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psycholinguistics
- Child language acquisition
- Syntax and morphology
Background:
- Critiques Rispoli's (1998) model of pronoun case errors in early English development.
- Analyzes error rates in 27 children aged 2.6–4.0 years.
- Examines the antagonistic relationship between 'he' and 'him' overextensions.
Discussion:
- Demonstrates that 'he' and 'him' overextensions are not antagonistic.
- Proposes relative input frequencies as a more plausible explanation for 'her' subject errors.
- Challenges the core assumptions of Rispoli's proposed model.
Key Insights:
- Overextension patterns of pronoun case errors in child English are re-evaluated.
- Relative frequency of linguistic input significantly influences child pronoun usage.
- Rispoli's findings do not invalidate developmental syntax models like Schütze (1997).
Outlook:
- Further research into the role of input frequency in child language development.
- Refining developmental syntax models based on empirical data.
- Investigating cross-linguistic variations in pronoun acquisition.