Article
Optional opacity: A syntactically-based analysis of early Hebrew verb morphology
First Language
(2016)
Abstract
The study aims to account for the distribution of finite versus non-finite verbs during a developmental period when children use both types of verb forms in contexts requiring finiteness. To meet this goal, longitudinal samples from three Hebrew-acquiring children (aged 1;4–2;6) are examined from the onset of verb production and across the ‘optional’ period in which finite and non-finite verbs occur side by side. Each verb-containing utterance is specified for structural transparency (whether the verb has a clearly unambiguous target) and for additional clausal constituents. Analysis reveals that during the ‘optional’ period non-transparent verb forms favor elaborated syntactic environments (i.e., accompanied by objects and/or adverbs) at significantly higher rates than their transparent counterparts. These morpho-syntactic patterns in children’s verb usage provide a line of explanation for the distribution of inflected versus non-inflected forms, and highlight the role of between-domain inter-relations in language acquisition.
Keywords
- Early verb inflections,
- Hebrew,
- morpho-syntactic inter-relations,
- opacity/transparency,
- optionality
Disciplines
Publication Date
February 4, 2016
DOI
10.1177/0142723715626315
Publisher Statement
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Citation Information
Lyle Lustigman. "Optional opacity: A syntactically-based analysis of early Hebrew verb morphology" First Language Vol. 35 Iss. 6 (2016) p. 466 - 488 ISSN: 0142-7237 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/lyle-lustigman/6/