Elicited production of relative clauses in German

  • We elicited the production of various types of relative clauses in a group of German-speaking children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing controls in order to test the movement optionality account of grammatical difficulty in SLI. The results show that German-speaking children with SLI are impaired in relative clause production compared to typically developing children. The alternative structures that they produce consist of simple main clauses, as well as nominal and prepositional phrases produced in isolation, sometimes contextually appropriate, and sometimes not. Crucially for evaluating the movement optionality account, children with SLI produce very few instances of embedded clauses where the relative clause head noun is pronounced in situ; in fact, such responses are more common among the typically developing child controls. These results underscore the difficulty German-speaking children with SLI have with structures involving movement, but provide no specific support for the movement optionalityWe elicited the production of various types of relative clauses in a group of German-speaking children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing controls in order to test the movement optionality account of grammatical difficulty in SLI. The results show that German-speaking children with SLI are impaired in relative clause production compared to typically developing children. The alternative structures that they produce consist of simple main clauses, as well as nominal and prepositional phrases produced in isolation, sometimes contextually appropriate, and sometimes not. Crucially for evaluating the movement optionality account, children with SLI produce very few instances of embedded clauses where the relative clause head noun is pronounced in situ; in fact, such responses are more common among the typically developing child controls. These results underscore the difficulty German-speaking children with SLI have with structures involving movement, but provide no specific support for the movement optionality account.show moreshow less

Download full text files

Export metadata

Additional Services

Search Google Scholar Statistics
Metadaten
Author details:Flavia AdaniORCiDGND, Maja Henny Katherine Stegenwallner-SchützORCiDGND, Yair HaendlerORCiDGND, Andrea Zukowski
URN:urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-405149
Title of parent work (English):Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe
Subtitle (English):evidence from typically developing children and children with specific language impairment
Publication series (Volume number):Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe (409)
Publication type:Postprint
Language:English
Date of first publication:2018/05/17
Publication year:2016
Publishing institution:Universität Potsdam
Release date:2018/05/17
Tag:German; elicited production; first language acquisition; relative clauses; specific language impairment
Issue:409
Number of pages:25
Source:First Language 36 (2016) Nr. 3, S. 203–227 DOI: 10.1177/0142723716648842
Organizational units:Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät
DDC classification:4 Sprache / 40 Sprache / 400 Sprache
Peer review:Referiert
Publishing method:Open Access
Grantor:Sage
License (German):License LogoKeine öffentliche Lizenz: Unter Urheberrechtsschutz
Accept ✔
This website uses technically necessary session cookies. By continuing to use the website, you agree to this. You can find our privacy policy here.