Changes in the Production of Complex Syntax by Elementary-Aged School Children

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Developmental Psychology
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• State standards require elementary students to use complex syntax.
• Research shows age-related increases in complex utterance production in children.
• Speech-language pathologists need detailed data for curriculum-relevant intervention planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the production of specific subordinate and coordinate clauses in children aged 5-10 years.
• To analyze clause usage from conversational language samples.
• To inform intervention strategies for pediatric language development.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 50-utterance conversational language samples.
• Inclusion of 200 children with typical language development (ages 5;0 to 10;11).
• Examination of subordinate (nominal, relative, adverbial) and coordinate clauses.

Main Results:

• No significant increase in nominal, relative, or adverbial clauses with age.
• Significant increases in the use of coordinating conjunctions "but" and "so" were observed.
• For every month increase in age, "but" use rose by 0.9% and "so" by 1%.

Conclusions:

• Children aged 5-10 produce more utterances with "but" and "so" as they age.
• Approximately 30% of complex utterances contained nominal and/or adverbial subordinate clauses, regardless of age.
• Language sampling is supported for developing intervention goals and monitoring progress.