ERIC Number: EJ1171652
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1547-5441
EISSN: N/A
Regularizing Unpredictable Variation: Evidence from a Natural Language Setting
Hendricks, Alison Eisel; Miller, Karen; Jackson, Carrie N.
Language Learning and Development, v14 n1 p42-60 2018
While previous sociolinguistic research has demonstrated that children faithfully acquire probabilistic input constrained by sociolinguistic and linguistic factors (e.g., gender and socioeconomic status), research suggests children regularize inconsistent input-probabilistic input that is not sociolinguistically constrained (e.g., Hudson Kam & Newport, 2005, 2009; Singleton & Newport, 2004). The current study extends this research to investigate how children acquire grammatical forms when they are exposed to inconsistent input at the community-wide level by investigating the acquisition of inconsistently produced gender in Fering, a dialect of North Frisian. The results of a gender elicitation task show that some children regularize inconsistently produced features, while others approximated the adult-like probability patterns in their input. Those children who approximated the adult-like patterns were exposed to more Fering input than their peers who regularized gender. These results highlight the importance of input quantity in the context of community-wide inconsistent input, and demonstrate that when given sufficient input, children can acquire inconsistent patterns in the input.
Descriptors: Sociolinguistics, Language Research, Language Acquisition, Linguistic Input, Grammar, Dialects, Indo European Languages, Task Analysis, Form Classes (Languages), Language Patterns, Item Analysis, Surveys, Adults, Children, Comparative Analysis, Foreign Countries, Elementary School Students
Psychology Press. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A