Verbal prefixation in German child and adult language Cover Image

Verbal prefixation in German child and adult language
Verbal prefixation in German child and adult language

Author(s): Heike Behrens
Subject(s): Morphology, Syntax, Lexis, Language acquisition
Published by: Akadémiai Kiadó
Keywords: morphology; child language; language processing; German; linguistic relativity;

Summary/Abstract: Previous research has demonstrated that children pick up even small differences in the lexicalization patterns of closely related languages quickly and successfully. This study examines verbal prefixation in German child and adult language, using a particularly detailed case study. The data show that the child starts to produce prefixed verbs and prepositional phrases within a few months. More crucially, the child's speech gets attuned to the precise frequency distribution of these constructions in the input. These findings support theories of linguistic relativity whichemphasize the importance of the conventionality in language use for language processing and acquisition. A look at the input language reveals that the adults use hundreds of lexical items per hour which provide information about the use of verbal prefixation. Also, input frequencies did not change over time. This suggests that the structural properties of a given language are very stable, and help the child to become a proficient speaker.

  • Issue Year: 50/2003
  • Issue No: 1-2
  • Page Range: 41-59
  • Page Count: 19
  • Language: English