The Acquisition of Complex Sentences (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics, Series Number 105)

This comprehensive account of how children acquire complex sentences investigates spontaneous speech in English-speaking children between ages two and five. After examining the acquisition of numerous types of clauses, Holger Diessel argues that the acquisition process is determined by a variety of factors: the frequency of the various complex sentences in the language, the complexity of the emerging constructions, the communicative functions of complex sentences, and the child's social-cognitive development. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 4 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Contents......Page 9 Figures......Page 11 Tables......Page 13 Acknowledgements......Page 16 Abbreviations......Page 17 1.1 The scope and goal of this study......Page 19 1.2.1 From simple sentences to complex sentence constructions......Page 21 1.2.2 From lexically specific constructions to constructional schemas......Page 22 1.2.3 Determining factors......Page 24 1.3 Data......Page 25 2 A dynamic network model of grammatical constructions......Page 31 2.1.1 Constructions......Page 32 2.1.2 The grammar–lexicon continuum......Page 34 2.1.3 Schemas and rules......Page 36 2.1.4 Prefabricated formulas......Page 38 2.2.1 The emergence of linguistic structure......Page 41 2.2.2 Network representations......Page 44 2.2.3 Entrenchment......Page 47 2.2.4 Productivity......Page 49 2.3.1 The innateness hypothesis......Page 52 2.3.2 Learning vs. growth......Page 55 3.1 Towards a definition of complex sentences......Page 59 3.2 Towards a definition of subordinate clauses......Page 60 3.2.1 The syntactic features of subordinate clauses......Page 61 3.2.3 The semantic features of subordinate clauses......Page 62 3.2.4 Processing of subordinate clauses......Page 64 3.2.5 Summary......Page 66 4 Infinitival and participial complement constructions......Page 67 4.1 Literature......Page 68 4.2 Infinitival and participial complement clauses in adult grammar......Page 73 4.3 Data......Page 77 4.4.1 Infinitival and participial complement constructions......Page 80 4.4.2 Want-constructions......Page 86 4.5.1 Summary......Page 90 4.5.2 Discussion......Page 91 5 Complement clauses......Page 95 5.1 Literature......Page 96 5.2 Finite complement clauses in adult grammar......Page 98 5.3 Data......Page 107 5.4.1 S-complements......Page 108 5.4.2 If-complements and wh-complements......Page 123 5.5.1 Summary......Page 129 5.5.2 Discussion......Page 131 6.1 Literature......Page 134 6.1.1 The noninterruption hypothesis......Page 136 6.1.2 The filler-gap hypothesis......Page 137 6.1.3 The NVN-schema hypothesis......Page 139 6.1.4 The parallel-function hypothesis......Page 141 6.1.5 The conjoined-clause hypothesis......Page 142 6.2 Relative clauses in adult grammar......Page 145 6.3 Data......Page 147 6.4.1 External syntax......Page 149 6.4.2 Internal syntax......Page 154 6.4.3 Infinitival and participial relative constructions......Page 157 6.5.1 Summary......Page 159 6.5.2 Comprehension vs. production......Page 160 6.5.3 Discussion......Page 161 7.1 Literature......Page 167 7.2 Adverbial and co-ordinate clauses in adult grammar......Page 170 7.3 Data......Page 174 7.4.1 Early conjoined clauses......Page 176 7.4.2 Later conjoined clauses......Page 183 7.5.1 Summary......Page 187 7.5.2 Discussion......Page 189 8 Conclusion......Page 192 8.1 From simple sentences to multiple-clause constructions......Page 193 8.2 From lexically specific constructions to constructional schemas......Page 198 8.3 Conclusion......Page 202 Appendix......Page 204 References......Page 218 Author index......Page 238 Subject index......Page 242 "This book presents the first comprehensive study of how children acquire complex sentences. Drawing on observational data from English-speaking children aged from two to five, Holger Diessel investigates the acquisition of infinitival and participial complement clauses, finite complement clauses, finite and non-finite relative clauses, adverbial clauses, and co-ordinate clauses. His investigation shows that the development of complex sentences originates from simple, non-embedded sentences, and that two different developmental pathways can be distinguished: complex sentences including complement and relative clauses evolve from simple sentences that are gradually expanded to multiple clause constructions; and complex sentences including adverbial and co-ordinate clauses develop from simple sentences that are integrated into a specific biclausal unit. He argues that the acquisition process is determined by a variety of factors: the frequency of the various complex sentences in the ambient language, the semantic and syntactic complexity of the emerging constructions, the communicative functions of complex sentences, and the social-cognitive development of the child."--Jacket This book presents a comprehensive study of how children acquire complex sentences. Drawing on observational data from English-speaking children aged 2 to 5, Holger Diessel investigates the acquisition of infinitival and participial complement clauses, finite complement clauses, finite and nonfinite relative clauses, adverbial clauses, and coordinate clauses. His investigation shows that the development of complex sentences originates from simple non-embedded sentences and that two different developmental pathways can be distinguished: complex sentences including complement and relative clauses evolve from simple sentences that are gradually expanded to multiple-clause constructions, and complex sentences including adverbial and coordinate clauses develop from simple sentences that are integrated in a specific biclausal unit. He argues that the acquisition process is determined by a variety of factors: the frequency of the various complex sentences in the ambient language, the semantic and syntactic complexity of the emerging constructions, the communicative functions of complex sentences, and the social-cognitive development of the child. This new and pathbreaking study provides the first ever comprehensive account of how children acquire complex sentences. Holger Diessel investigates spontaneous speech in English-speaking children aged between two and five, examining the acquisition of infinitival, participial and finite complement clauses, finite and non-finite relative clauses, and co-ordinate clauses A Dynamic Network Model Of Grammatical Constructions -- Towards A Definition Of Complex Sentences And Subordinate Clauses -- Infinitival And Participial Complement Constructions -- Complement Clauses -- Relative Clauses -- Adverbial And Co-ordinate Clauses. Holger Diessel. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 200-219) And Indexes.