Predicting the Development of Interrogative Forms and Functions in Early Years: A Corpus-Based Study of Mandarin-Speaking Young Children

Autor/inn/en	Li, Hui; Jing, Mengguo; Wong, Eileen Chin Mei
Titel	Predicting the Development of Interrogative Forms and Functions in Early Years: A Corpus-Based Study of Mandarin-Speaking Young Children
Quelle	In: Journal of Child Language, 44 (2017) 1, S.216-238 (23 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0305-0009
Schlagwörter	Mandarin Chinese; Child Language; Computational Linguistics; Language Acquisition; Toddlers; Young Children; Age Differences; Information Seeking; Parent Child Relationship; Form Classes (Languages); Preferences; Television Viewing; Predictor Variables + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? 'Children''s language'; Kindersprache; Linguistics; Computerlinguistik; Sprachaneignung; Spracherwerb; Infant; Infants; Toddler; Kleinkind; Frühe Kindheit; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Informationserschließung; Parents-child relationship; Parent-child-relation; Parent-child relationship; Eltern-Kind-Beziehung; Analytischer Sprachbau; Fernsehkonsum; Prädiktor
Abstract	This study examined the development of and possible predictors of interrogative forms and functions in early childhood Mandarin. All the interrogatives drawn from the Early Child Mandarin Corpus (168 children 2;6, 3;6, 4;6, and 5;6) were analyzed. The main results indicated that (i) there were significant age effects in interrogative forms and functions, with the periods between the ages of 3;6 and 4;6 and between the ages of 2;6 and 3;6 being critical in the early acquisition of interrogative forms and functions, respectively; (ii) the form-function preference was verified, with wh-questions being primarily used to seek information ("RfI"), and intonation/echo and rhetorical questions being used to request action ("RfA"); (iii) more than half (59·5%) of the Mandarin interrogatives were used for "RfI," whereas only 38·9% of them were used for "RfA"; and (iv) age, TV viewing time, and parent-child conversation time were the significant predictors of interrogative development. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Cambridge University Press. 100 Brook Hill Drive, West Nyack, NY 10994-2133. Tel: 800-872-7423; Tel: 845-353-7500; Fax: 845-353-4141; e-mail: subscriptions_newyork@cambridge.org; Web site: http://journals.cambridge.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01