In terms of Universal Grammar, our language is made up out of grammatical categories, namely lexical categories and functional categories (compare 1997 Radford: 29-60). What are grammatical categories? When little babies enter our world – do they carry categories within them? What are their first words? Do they belong to a certain category and is the child aware of that? How do children’s first word-combinations look like? Are there similarities to the adults’ language?
This paper suggests answers to these questions. Since every language has a more or less different grammar, the focus stays on the English language. This makes it possible to go into detail. Moreover, the concern lies in early child English up to the age of about two years. The overall claim is that children up to that age only produce words and word combinations belonging to thematic or lexical classes. This is also Radford’s thesis presented in his book Syntactic Theory and the Acquisition of Syntax (1990).
To be able to understand what lexical categories are, the following chapter provides a definition of grammatical categories. Afterwards, Radford’s theory will be described. In the next section, examples of children up to the age of about two years are given and analyzed concerning the occurrence of lexical categories. Other opinions will be presented and discussed in the following section. The paper closes with a conclusion.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. An Overview on the Topic
2.1 Definition of Lexical Categories
2.2 Radford’s Theory
2.2.1 The Four Stages in Language Acquisition
2.2.2 Categorization and Projection in Language Acquisition
3. Data
3.1 A Child’s Noun-System
3.2 A Child’s Verb-System
3.3 A Child’s Preposition-System
3.4 A Child’s Adjective-System
3.5 The Lack of Functional Elements in Early Child English
3.6 Summary
4. Other Opinions and Comments
5. Conclusion
6. References
Research Objectives and Topics
This paper investigates the development of grammatical categories in early child English, specifically testing the hypothesis that children up to the age of two produce language using only lexical or thematic categories while lacking functional elements. The research focuses on the acquisition of syntactic structure and phrase projections during this formative period.
- Theoretical definition of lexical versus functional grammatical categories.
- Radford’s four stages of language acquisition.
- Analysis of child speech data concerning nouns, verbs, prepositions, and adjectives.
- Evaluation of empirical evidence supporting the absence of functional elements in early child syntax.
- Critical discussion of alternative linguistic perspectives on child language production.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 A Child’s Noun-System
First, let us look at some completion sentences. Here, the adult begins a sentence and the child completes it, as has been explained in the previous chapter. The following completions are given by Jem, who is 21 months old (Radford, 1990: 26):
(a) What’s that? A big green... Pencil
(b) Where do we go in Beaumaris? We go to the... Slides
(c) Mummy’s reading a... Book
(Radford 1990: 27)
It can clearly be seen that Jem answers with the right category words, namely with nouns. This is because Jem being 21 months old has already acquired the lexical category nouns. Whereas in the following example, where Allison gives answers to wh-questions at the age of 16 and 19 months (Radford 1990: 32), we can clearly see that she does not use appropriate category words:
(a) What do you hear? (as telephone rings) – There (16)
(b) What do you want? – Away (16)
(c) What’s that? – There (19)
(d) What is it? – Small (19)
(Radford 1990: 32)
Allison’s age at each question is put into brackets, here. The questions ask for a nominal response, but Allison’s answers are of other categories. At the age of 20 and 22 months, Allison’s answers look different:
(a) Who came to school with Mommy today – Allison (20)
(b) Who’s going uptown? – Baby...doll (20)
(c) What do we need for the diaper? – Pin (20)
(d) What are you wearing? – Dress (22)
(Radford 1990: 32)
These examples show that Allison, at this point, knows what category the questions demand, namely nouns. Just as Radford claims, this is the case by the age of 20 months, and that is the age Allison has reached here.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the scope of the paper, focusing on the development of grammatical categories in children up to two years of age based on Radford's theory.
2. An Overview on the Topic: Defines lexical and functional categories and describes Radford's four-stage model of language acquisition.
3. Data: Provides empirical analysis of child speech samples to demonstrate the use of noun, verb, preposition, and adjective systems without functional elements.
4. Other Opinions and Comments: Discusses alternative theories and critical perspectives, including arguments regarding language production versus comprehension.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, supporting the theory that early child language relies exclusively on lexical category projections.
6. References: Lists the academic literature and primary sources consulted for this research.
Keywords
Language Acquisition, Lexical Categories, Functional Categories, Radford, Early Child English, X-bar Syntax, Phrasal Projection, Noun-System, Verb-System, Preposition-System, Adjective-System, Universal Grammar, Morphosyntax, Word Order, Linguistic Maturation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the acquisition of grammatical categories in early child English, specifically arguing that young children primarily use lexical categories while functional elements are absent.
What are the primary thematic fields covered in this study?
The study covers syntactic theory, language acquisition stages, lexical versus functional classification, and the structural projection of phrases in early childhood.
What is the main objective or research question?
The research asks whether children under two years old possess a structural understanding of grammatical categories and if they produce language based solely on lexical classes.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The paper utilizes an empirical analysis of spontaneous child speech transcripts, applying simplified X-bar syntax to interpret the structural development of the child's grammar.
What is discussed in the main body?
The main body systematically analyzes child speech data for specific systems (nouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives) and contrasts this with the lack of functional elements like determiners or inflections.
How can this paper be summarized by its keywords?
The paper is defined by the intersection of language acquisition, syntactic projection (X-bar theory), and the distinction between lexical and functional word classes.
How does Radford define the "single-word stage" in this text?
Radford defines this stage (12-18 months) as a period where children utter isolated words that are acategorial and lack grammatical structure, functioning merely as simple combinations of word and meaning.
What is the significance of the "lexical stage" mentioned in the paper?
The lexical stage represents the point at which children begin to combine words correctly according to their category, establishing a lexical system while still failing to incorporate functional elements.
What is the distinction between "acquisition" and "mastery" as used by the author?
Acquisition refers to the initial ability to attach elements to appropriate word-stems, while mastery is achieved when those elements are used correctly in every instance.
- Citar trabajo
- Helga Mebus (Autor), 2007, Lexical categories in early child English, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/93223
