ERIC Number: EJ1334782
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1547-5441
EISSN: N/A
Early Acquisition of Plural Morphology in a Classifier Language: Data from Korean 2-4 Year Olds
Ahn, Dorothy; Snedeker, Jesse
Language Learning and Development, v18 n1 p1-15 2022
Korean is a classifier language in which bare nouns are not obligatorily number-marked. Children learning other classifier languages like Japanese and Mandarin are late in learning the plural morpheme. In this paper, we present two datasets that suggest that Korean plural marker "-tul" is acquired much earlier, in contrast to what has been previously claimed. In a comprehension study, we find that Korean children begin acquiring this morpheme by age 3, showing adult-like performance by age 4. We suggest that the higher frequency of plural marking on both types and tokens of nouns and the consistent marking of plural in the domain of definite nouns may facilitate Korean plural acquisition.
Descriptors: Morphology (Languages), Korean, Nouns, Toddlers, Language Acquisition, Morphemes, Native Speakers, Foreign Countries, Pictorial Stimuli, Objective Tests, Adults
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Korea
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A