1887
Volume 1, Issue 2
  • ISSN 2950-189X
  • E-ISSN: 2950-1881

Abstract

Abstract

This paper focuses on antonym pairs in child Dutch. Children sometimes erroneously use the opposite word from what they intend to mean with <±polar> pairs. Psycholinguistic studies in the 1970ties suggest that the <−polar> member of dimensional adjectives, motion verbs and temporal adverbs is acquired before the <+polar> one.

Another error occurs with the expression of absence. Dutch and German children sometimes say (‘with without’) as the antonym expression of /. Sauerland, Meyer & Yatsushiro (2024) argue that the <−polar> negative member can be conceptually decomposed in the positive member plus negation (-), which children fail to see. They ‘undercompress’ negation. The decomposition also holds for the <±polar> member of dimensional adjectives (-Adj).

I will argue against both claims, the acquisition order and the undercompression idea. First, I discuss the errors and offer a new alternative analysis. Subsequently, other spontaneous speech errors with <±polar> pairs are considered.

Available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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2025-01-24
2025-02-15
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