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The transition from optional to required subjects
Journal of Child Language
|October 1, 1989
Summary
Children omit subjects in early speech because they lack the grammar for distinguishing verb types. This distinction develops gradually, not suddenly, with individual variation in how children learn verb rules.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Language Acquisition
Background:
- The optional subject phenomenon (OSS) in early child language is a key area of study.
- Previous theories, such as Hyams (1986), proposed different explanations for OSS.