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The optional subject phenomenon in young children's English: a case study
1Department of Linguistic Science, University of Reading, Whiteknights, UK.
Journal of Child Language
|February 1, 1992
Summary
Subject optionality in young children's English disappears independently of verb inflection development. This study shows English subject obligatoriness may be acquired uniquely, not linked to other grammar milestones.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Language Acquisition
Background:
- Previous theories link subject optionality in child English to verb inflection or INFL parameter resetting.
- It's claimed subject optionality ceases with these grammatical developments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental timeline of subject optionality in English.
- To determine if subject optionality's disappearance correlates with specific grammatical milestones.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal case study of one English-speaking child's productive language (ages 2;5 to 3;0).
- Analysis of subject realization frequency, compared against a Japanese child's data for non-obligatory subjects.
Main Results:
- Subject optionality was absent before key INFL-related developments occurred.
- Communicative requirement did not explain subject presence.
- Japanese child data provided a baseline for non-obligatory subject use.
Conclusions:
- Subject obligatoriness in English may be acquired independently of other grammatical developments.
- This suggests a sui generis acquisition process for English subject use.