1887
  1. Home
  2. Book Series
  3. [, Language Acquisition and Language Disorders]

[, Language Acquisition and Language Disorders]

Editorial info ► | Author info ►

Volumes in this series provide a forum for research contributing to theories of language acquisition (first and second, child and adult), language learnability, language attrition and language disorders.

41 - 60 of 71 results

    • Language Acquisition Studies in Generative Grammar

      Editor(s): Teun Hoekstra and Bonnie D. Schwartz
      Publication Date January 1994
      This is a collection of essays on the native and non-native acquisition of syntax within the Principles and Parameters framework. In line with current methodology in the study of adult grammars, language acquisition is studied here from a comparative perspective. The unifying theme is the issue of the 'initial state' of grammatical knowledge: For native language, the important controversy is that between the Continuity approach, which holds that Universal Grammar is essentially constant throughout development, and the Maturation approach, which maintains that portions of UG are subject to maturation. For non-native language, the theme of initial states concerns the extent of native-grammar influence. Different views regarding the continuity question are defended in the papers on first language acquisition. Evidence from the acquisition of, inter alia, Bernese, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Italian and Japanese, is brought to bear on issues pertaining to clause structure, null subjects, verb position, negation, Case marking, modality, non-finite sentences, root questions, long-distance questions and scrambling. The views defended on the initial state of (adult) second language acquisition also differ: from complete L1 influence to different versions of partial L1 influence. While the target language is German in these studies, the native language varies: Korean, Spanish and Turkish. Analyses invoke UG principles to account for verb placement, null subjects, verbal morphology and Case marking. Though many issues remain, the volume highlights the growing ties between formal linguistics and language acquisition research. Such an approach provides the foundation for asking the right questions and putting them to empirical test.

    • Language Processing and Acquisition in Languages of Semitic, Root-Based, Morphology

      Editor(s): Joseph Shimron
      Publication Date April 2003
      This book puts together contributions of linguists and psycholinguists whose main interest here is the representation of Semitic words in the mental lexicon of Semitic language speakers. The central topic of the book confronts two views about the morphology of Semitic words. The point of the argument is: Should we see Semitic words’ morphology as “root-based” or “word-based?” The proponents of the root-based approach, present empirical evidence demonstrating that Semitic language speakers are sensitive to the root and the template as the two basic elements (bound morphemes) of Semitic words. Those supporting the word-based approach, present arguments to the effect that Semitic word formation is not based on the merging of roots and templates, but that Semitic words are comprised of word stems and affixes like we find in Indo-European languages. The variety of evidence and arguments for each claim should force the interested readers to reconsider their views on Semitic morphology.

    • Language Transfer in Language Learning

      Editor(s): Susan M. Gass and Larry Selinker
      Publication Date October 1992
      The study of native language influence in Second Language Acquisition has undergone significant changes over the past few decades. This book, which includes 12 chapters by distinguished researchers in the field of second language acquisition, traces the conceptual history of language transfer from its early role within a Contrastive Analysis framework to its current position within Universal Grammar. The introduction presents a continuum of thought starting from the late 70s, a time in which major rethinking in the field regarding the concept of language transfer was beginning to take place, and continuing through the present day in which language transfer is integrated within current concepts and theoretical models. The afterword unites the issues discussed and allows the reader to place these issues in the context of future research. For the present book, the 1983 edition has been thoroughly revised, and some papers have been replaced and added.

    • Learnability and the Lexicon

      Author(s): Alan Juffs
      Publication Date August 1996
      This book provides a critical review of recent theories of semantics-syntax correspondences and makes new proposals for constraints on semantic structure relevant to syntax. Data from several languages are presented which suggest that semantic structure in root morphemes is subject to parametric variation which has effect across a variety of verb classes, including locatives, unaccusatives, and psych verbs.The implications for first and second language acquisition are discussed. In particular, it is suggested that different parametric settings may lead to a learnability problem if adult learners do not retain access to sensitivity to underlying semantic organization and morphological differences between languages provided by Universal Grammar.

      An experiment with Chinese-speaking learners of English is presented which shows that learners initially transfer L1 semantic organization to the L2, but are able to retreat from overgeneralisations and achieve native-like grammars in this area.

      Suggestions for further research in this rapidly developing area of theory and acquisition research are also made.

    • The Lexicon–Syntax Interface in Second Language Acquisition

      Editor(s): Roeland van Hout, Aafke Hulk, Folkert Kuiken and Richard J. Towell
      Publication Date August 2003
      Second language acquisition has to integrate the totality of the SLA process, which includes both the learning of the core syntax of a language and the learning of the lexical items that have to be incorporated into that syntax. But these two domains involve different kinds of learning. Syntax is learnt through a process of implementing a particular set of universal structures, whereas the learning of lexis is characterised by the building up of associations (or connections). Yet these two systems must come together in the creation of a whole linguistic system in the mind of an individual. This book is designed to state the implications of these two paradigms in as clear a way as possible through examples of the research carried out within each paradigm and to examine how they can be made to inter-relate in a way which would enable us to explain better the overall process of SLA.

    • The Locative Alternation in German

      Author(s): Ursula Brinkmann
      Publication Date December 1997
      This monograph deals with the locative alternation in German, a change in the argument structure of verbs like spray and load. Like most argument structure changes, the alternation is both productive and constrained: new forms may be derived, but not from all candidate verbs. This raises a learnability problem: how can children determine, in the absence of negative evidence, which verbs participate in the alternation? The Locative Alternation in German tries to answer this question by providing an in-depth analysis of the conditions that verbs must meet in order to participate in the alternation. Most importantly, transitive verbs must allow speakers to presuppose the existence of their theme argument. This condition requires the theme to be incremental so that it can be conceived of as nonindividuated (or unbounded) when the verb is used in the alternative syntactic frame. The Nonindividuation Hypothesis splits locative verbs into two types, mass verbs (like spray) and count verbs (like load), and it predicts that children acquire the alternation first for mass verbs, whose theme must be a substance and so is nonindividuated by default. Support for this hypothesis is provided in the empirical part of the book, which also provides evidence against claims in the literature that children acquire the alternation by drawing on an innate Affectness Linking Rule.

    • Minimal Answers

      Author(s): Ana Lúcia Santos
      Publication Date March 2009
      This book offers a new contribution to the debate concerning the acquisition of the syntax-discourse interface. It provides evidence that children acquiring European Portuguese have a very early ability to spontaneously produce VP ellipsis as answers to yes-no questions. It is also argued that the distribution of VP ellipsis in European Portuguese (including its co-existence with Null Complement Anaphora) supports the hypothesis that the identification condition on ellipsis is derivable from some innate knowledge of the syntax-discourse interface. Answers to yes-no questions also provide evidence concerning children’s interpretation of questions containing a cleft or the operator só ‘only’. The analysis of spontaneous production is complemented by a comprehension experiment, showing that children have two problems in the interpretation of these questions: (i) they do not understand that the cleft and só introduce a presupposition and (ii) they start with a default focus assignment strategy and may not access other focus interpretations.

    • Morphology and its Interfaces in Second Language Knowledge

      Editor(s): Maria-Luise Beck
      Publication Date December 1998
      This volume treats the connection between syntax and morphology with a focus on L2 acquisition. This interface has been a matter of considerable interest in theoretical circles ever since Chomsky (1994) and others argued that morphological parameters form the primary locus of cross-linguistic variation. As might be expected, generative theorists working in the area of language acquisition have responded to this argument with various analyses. L2 research is no exception: A variety of researchers have begun serious explorations on the ways in which morphology may (or may not) trigger variation not only in syntax, but also in argument structure. The volume thus brings together a concentrated research effort on the topic from an L2 perspective. The volume starts off with a comprehensive introduction to the various sub-topics and ends with an extensive index.

    • New Frontiers and Connections in Second Language Acquisition

      Editor(s): Tania Ionin and Silvina Montrul
      Publication Date April 2026
      This volume contains a representative sample of studies presented at the 17th meeting of the Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition conference (GASLA-17). The chapters explore new frontiers, and make connections between second language acquisition, bilingualism, psycholinguistic methods, and computational methods. The chapters ask theoretically informed questions about the underlying grammars of language learners and bilinguals, use experimental methods to arrive at answers to those questions, and consider the value of using ‘big data’ to address questions in generative second language acquisition. This volume is intended for scholars and students of generative second language acquisition and related fields. It builds on prior literature by addressing the acquisition of a variety of phenomena (in syntax, semantics, pragmatics and phonology), by a variety of populations, and using a variety of data collection methods.

    • Nominal Compound Acquisition

      Editor(s): Wolfgang U. Dressler, F. Nihan Ketrez and Marianne Kilani-Schoch
      Publication Date December 2017
      This book offers a systematic study of the emergence and early development of compound nouns in first language acquisition from a cross-linguistic and typological perspective. The language sample is both genealogically and typologically diversified, ranging from languages rich in compounds, such as German, Saami, Estonian and Finnish, to languages poor in compounds, such as French. Some of them differ in compound richness according to genres of adult-directed speech in contrast to child-directed speech and thus also child speech, like Russian, Lithuanian and especially Greek. Differences in the delimitation and transition between compounds and phrases and in the distribution of subtypes of compounds in these languages involve great typological variety and thus different tasks for children acquiring them. The eleven languages investigated in the volume and the common methodology of longitudinal collection of spontaneous speech data concerning the interaction between children and their caretakers or peers, supplemented by lexical typology as a new means of cross-linguistic comparison of language acquisition, allow new generalizations and make the volume a unique contribution.

    • On the Acquisition of the Syntax of Romance

      Editor(s): Anna Gavarró
      Publication Date December 2018
      This volume presents eleven papers on the acquisition of Romance, most of them presented at the Romance Turn VIII, held in Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain, in September 2016. Part I of the volume is devoted to passives and related constructions. The results unveil domains in comprehension in which children are adult-like, and other domains where there is delay. It is a challenge for current theoretical proposals to encompass such differences. Part II focuses on the TP-field, including clitics and negation. Part III deals with the CP-field, covering topics such as backward anaphora, subjects and the left periphery, and recursiveness. The volume includes studies carried out on a variety of populations: typically developing children, bilinguals, children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Specific Language Impairment, and heritage speakers, with a view to arriving at a general theory of language acquisition.

    • Paths of Development in L1 and L2 acquisition

      Editor(s): Sharon Unsworth, Teresa Parodi, Antonella Sorace and Martha Young-Scholten
      Publication Date February 2006
      The main focus of generative language development research in recent decades has been the logical problem of language acquisition - how learners go beyond the input to acquire complex linguistic knowledge. This collection deals with the complementary issue of the developmental problem of language acquisition: How do learners move from one developmental stage to another and how and why do grammars develop in a certain fashion? Building on considerable previous research, the authors address both general and specific issues related to paths of development. These issues are tackled through considering studies of L1 and L2 children and L2 adults learning a range of languages including Dutch, English, French, German, Greek and Japanese.

    • Perspectives on Input, Evidence, and Exposure in Language Acquisition

      Editor(s): Lindsay Hracs
      Publication Date September 2024
      Emphasizing the necessity for theory-driven language acquisition research, the studies in this collection aim to formalize the kinds of information available to first and second language learners, as well as to shed light on how that information is used to solve a variety of learning problems. The volume pays homage to the scholarly contributions of Susanne E. Carroll, delving into the impact she has had on the field of language acquisition. The central themes of input, evidence, and exposure – found throughout Carroll’s work ­– are explored in this volume. The contributions cover a range of topics such as the emergence of linguistic theorizing in language acquisition research, the acquisition of grammatical gender, classroom language learning, learning on first exposure, asymmetries between developmental trajectories in first and second language acquisition, and the effects of grammatical complexity on language development.

    • Perspectives on Phonological Theory and Development

      Editor(s): Ashley W. Farris-Trimble and Jessica A. Barlow
      Publication Date April 2014
      Any theory of phonology must be able to account for the acquisition and development of a phonological system, and studying acquisition often leads to reciprocal advances in the theory. This volume explores the link between phonological theory and linguistic development from a variety of angles, including phonological representation, individual differences, and cross-linguistic approaches. Chapters touch on the full spectrum of phonological development, from childhood to adult second-language learning, and from developing dialects to language death. Contributors are leading researchers in the fields of linguistics, speech pathology, and cognitive psychology. A tribute to Daniel A. Dinnsen, the papers in this volume complement his research career by highlighting significant contributions of acquisition research to the development of phonological theory.

    • Point Counterpoint

      Editor(s): Lynn Eubank
      Publication Date August 1991
      Point Counterpoint offers a series of papers and replies originally presented at a special session of the Second Language Research Forum, UCLA, March 1989. The focus of the papers is primarily the role of Universal Grammar in second language acquisition, though the agenda also includes discussion of other fundamental questions, viz., the explanatory potential of linguistic theory in native-language development. It may come as no surprise that the contributors and their respondents often present very different perspectives on the issues, for most of the authors were known in advance to hold contrasting points of view. Contributors (c) and Respondents (r) are: Wolfgang Klein (c)/Nina Hyams (r); Sascha Felix (c)/Jacquelyn Schachter (r); Suzanne Flynn & Sharon Manuel (c)/David Birdsong (r); Lydia White (c)/Robert Bley-Vroman (r); Peter Jordens (c)/Lynn Eubank (r); Jurgen Meisel (c)/Bonnie Schwartz (r); Sharon Hilles (c)/William O'Grady (r); Daniel Finer (c)/Margaret Thomas (r); Usha Lakshmanan (c)/Nina Hymans & Ken Safir (r).

    • Quechua-Spanish Bilingualism

      Author(s): Liliana Sánchez
      Publication Date December 2003
      This book addresses how cross-linguistic interference is represented in the bilingual mind. Examining novel oral production data from older bilingual children representing two Quechua varieties, this research concludes that interference in the feature specification of functional categories leads to language change in a language contact situation, and links convergence, a common set of feature values for the same functional category in both languages to the activation of features related to the informational structure of the sentence. These mechanisms are illustrated in detail by the presence of overt determiners, canonical SVO word order and the absence of accusative marking in bilingual Quechua and by neutralization of case and gender distinctions in direct object pronouns as well as in the emergence of null pronouns with definite antecedents in bilingual Spanish.

    • Representational Deficits in SLA

      Editor(s): Neal Snape, Yan-kit Ingrid Leung and Michael Sharwood Smith
      Publication Date January 2009
      The main focus of this collection is to explore the question of “representational deficits” in second language acquisition, currently a much-debated topic. The volume is intended as a tribute to Roger Hawkins, a leading scholar in generative second language acquisition, whose research has been devoted to explaining lack of native-like success in terms of representational deficits. The papers in this volume feature a range of studies, all undertaken within a generative linguistic framework, which investigate various properties of L2 grammar bearing on the question of whether or not there are representational deficits in the post-critical-period L2 learners’ grammar. The significance of such deficits, if their existence can be confirmed, is that they provide support for the claim, at least for the type of L2 learner under investigation, that there are insurmountable obstacles to ultimate attainment.

    • Research in Second Language Processing and Parsing

      Editor(s): Bill VanPatten and Jill Jegerski
      Publication Date December 2010
      This volume is the first dedicated to the growing field of theory and research on second language processing and parsing. The fourteen papers in this volume offer cutting-edge research using a number of different languages (e.g., Arabic, Spanish, Japanese, French, German, English) and structures (e.g., relative clauses, wh-gaps, gender, number) to examine various issues in second language processing: first language influence, whether or not non-natives can achieve native-like processing, the roles of context and prosody, the effects of working memory, and others. The researchers include both established scholars and newer voices, all offering important insights into the factors that affect processing and parsing in a second language.

    • Second Language Acquisition of Articles

      Editor(s): María del Pilar García Mayo and Roger Hawkins
      Publication Date July 2009
      The studies in this collection address a topic that has recently become the focus of considerable interest in second language acquisition (SLA) research: the acquisition of articles. Languages appear to vary in whether they have articles (English, German, Norwegian do, but Chinese, Japanese, Russian do not). Languages that have articles also appear to divide into those that realise definiteness (e.g. English) and those that realise specificity (e.g. Samoan). When speakers of one type of language learn an L2 of a different type, issues of central concern to SLA research arise: the nature of L1 influence, the time course of development, ultimate attainment, the relationship between performance and competence, and the role of Universal Grammar. These issues are considered in nine studies, written by researchers whose work is at the forefront of enquiry, that offer new data, new perspectives and new insights into the way L2 speakers acquire articles.

    • Second Language Acquisition of Turkish

      Editor(s): Ayşe Gürel
      Publication Date May 2016
      This book brings together the findings of current studies on the second language (L2) acquisition of Turkish, an Altaic language with more than 140 million native speakers around the world. There is now a growing interest in learning and teaching Turkish as an L2, both in and outside Turkey. Coordinated efforts to produce theoretical and empirical work on the acquisition and teaching of L2 Turkish are therefore an urgent need. The compilation in this volume offers eleven L2 studies that explore the representation and/or processing of various linguistic properties in different domains of grammar (phonology, morpho-syntax, pragmatics) and their interfaces. All studies involve adult L2 Turkish learners with various first-language backgrounds at different proficiency levels. With extensive discussions on theoretical and pedagogical issues, this title will appeal to an international readership that includes L2 Turkish researchers, materials designers, and teachers.
| 1 2 3(current) 4 |
Display: 20 | 50 | 100 items per page
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error