Form and function in the acquisition of Korean wh-questions

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia M. Clancy

ABSTRACTIn this paper the order in which wh-questions are acquired in the production and comprehension of two Korean children, aged 1;8–2;8 and 1;10–2; 10, is analysed and compared with the available crosslinguistic data. Consistencies in acquisition order are hypothesized to be based on universals of cognitive development, which constrain the comprehension and production of wh-forms and influence the order in which mothers introduce them, and on functionally based similarities in the input of form/function pairs across children and languages. Discrepancies in acquisition order are attributed to differences in interactive style across caregivers and children, leading to different input frequencies of particular forms and individual children's selection of different forms for use.

Glottotheory ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 85-102
Author(s):  
Natsue Ito ◽  
Katsuo Tamaoka ◽  
Michael Patrick Mansbridge

AbstractClancy (1989. Form and function in the acquisition of Korean wh-questions. Journal of Child Language, 16(2), 323–47) claims that the developmental order of wh-questions in first language acquisition follows the order: what = where<who<how=why<when. Forner (1979. The mother as LAD: interaction between order and frequency of parental input and child production. In A. Hastings & F. R. Eckman (Eds.), Studies in first and second language acquisition (pp. 17–44). New York, NY: Newbury House Publishers) further argues that a mother’s order of introducing wh-questions might be influenced by her assumption of a child’s cognitive development. Similarly, the target age for picture books might also reflect an adult’s assumption of the child’s cognitive development. Accordingly, this study investigates a Japanese picture book corpus to determine whether the order of appearance for wh-words mirrors that of Clancy’s developmental order. As a result, the appearance of Japanese wh-words in the picture books were similar to Clancy’s (1989. Form and function in the acquisition of Korean wh-questions. Journal of Child Language, 16(2), 323–47) order except for the question dou ‘how’. Because dou and the English ‘how’ have different ranges of meaning, the data were reanalyzed which resulted in an order more similar to Clancy’s. These results suggest that the target age of picture books reflect the adult’s assumption of a child’s cognitive development. Picture books might also influence a caregivers’ order of introducing wh-words. In conclusion, this study implies external social factor such as picture books, together with other factors, might influence the children’s wh-developmental order.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (107) ◽  
pp. 20150184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Jack Tseng ◽  
John J. Flynn

Morphology serves as a ubiquitous proxy in macroevolutionary studies to identify potential adaptive processes and patterns. Inferences of functional significance of phenotypes or their evolution are overwhelmingly based on data from living taxa. Yet, correspondence between form and function has been tested in only a few model species, and those linkages are highly complex. The lack of explicit methodologies to integrate form and function analyses within a deep-time and phylogenetic context weakens inferences of adaptive morphological evolution, by invoking but not testing form–function linkages. Here, we provide a novel approach to test mechanical properties at reconstructed ancestral nodes/taxa and the strength and direction of evolutionary pathways in feeding biomechanics, in a case study of carnivorous mammals. Using biomechanical profile comparisons that provide functional signals for the separation of feeding morphologies, we demonstrate, using experimental optimization criteria on estimation of strength and direction of functional changes on a phylogeny, that convergence in mechanical properties and degree of evolutionary optimization can be decoupled. This integrative approach is broadly applicable to other clades, by using quantitative data and model-based tests to evaluate interpretations of function from morphology and functional explanations for observed macroevolutionary pathways.


2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Fischer

Although cleft sentences are possible constructions in both English and German, they are far more frequent in English texts. Durrell (2002: 479) observes in his Hammer's German Grammar and Usage that “with the exception of the type Er war es, der mich davon abhielt […], cleft sentence constructions sound unnatural in German and should be avoided.” The article discusses the form and function of cleft sentences in the context of other focusing devices. It shows that, although German and English cleft sentences have the same information structure, their stylistic value is very different. Using a short translation, Durrell's observation is confirmed: in translating cleft sentences into German, semantic equivalence is often sacrificed for stylistic appropriateness. Although structural features of both languages are the ultimate cause of the contrast, they cannot explain choices in each individual case. The article argues that structural typology should be complemented with a typology of parole: the respective frequencies of cleft sentences in both languages reflect neatly into the more verbal style, more hierarchical sentence construction and, in certain respects, greater semantic transparency of English texts (by comparison with their German counterparts).*


2018 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-84
Author(s):  
Marie Mikulová ◽  
Eduard Bejček ◽  
Eva Hajičová ◽  
Jarmila Panevová

Abstract The aim of the contribution is to introduce a database of linguistic forms and their functions built with the use of the multi-layer annotated corpora of Czech, the Prague Dependency Treebanks. The purpose of the Prague Database of Forms and Functions (ForFun) is to help the linguists to study the form-function relation, which we assume to be one of the principal tasks of both theoretical linguistics and natural language processing. We demonstrate possibilities of the exploitation of the ForFun database. This article is largely based on a paper presented at the 16th International Workshop on Treebanks and Linguistic Theories in Prague (Bejček et al., 2017).


2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
LYLE LUSTIGMAN ◽  
RUTH A. BERMAN

ABSTRACTThe study characterizes developmental trends in early Hebrew clause-combining (CC) by analyzing the interplay between linguistic form and communicative function in different interactional settings. Analysis applied to all utterances produced by three children aged 2;0–3;0 who combined two or more clauses, either self-initiated or on the basis of adult input. Ten types of CC were analyzed for marking by connectives (e.g. the Hebrew equivalents of ‘and’, ‘that’, ‘so’). Four shared consecutive developmental phases emerged: non-marking; partial marking by ‘and’ and ‘that’; use of ‘but’ and ‘because’, favored significantly in interlocutor-supported contexts; marking of adverbial relations and more varied use ofše-‘that’. These CC processes are interpreted as reflecting general properties of language development, in the form of gradually increasing specification of form–function relations under the impact of interlocutor–child interactive support combined with Hebrew-particular typological factors.


2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique Lacroix ◽  
Andrée Pomerleau ◽  
Gérard Malcuit

The research analysed longitudinally the properties of maternal utterances and their relation with child's language and cognitive development. The sample consisted of 125 mother-child dyads divided in three groups: 32 adolescent mothers, 54 adult mothers of low socioeconomic status (LSES), and 39 adult mothers of middle socioeconomic status (MSES). The form and function of each mother's utterances to her child at 18, 30 and 36 months of age were evaluated during a free-play session in the laboratory. Results showed differences between the three groups in the properties of maternal utterances. Adolescent and adult LSES mothers used more utterances that controlled or directed what the child was doing, and fewer utterances that informed or questioned the child. During their second and third year of life, children from the MSES group obtained higher scores than children of adolescent and adult LSES mothers on measures of language and cognitive development. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the forms and functions of maternal utterances were important predictors of child development. Most importantly, the forms and functions of maternal utterances from 18 to 36 months explained 45% of the variance in the children's score on the Stanford-Binet.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105-126
Author(s):  
Daniel Wilks ◽  
Simon Kay

Vascularized composite allotransplants contain the products of multiple cell lineages to reconstruct the form and function of complex, composite tissue defects. This chapter discusses the ethical principles and the immunology behind composite transplantation, including the selection of immunomodulatory agents and the immune basis and treatment of rejection. The principles of organ allocation and candidate preparation are presented prior to discussion of the clinical applications and outcomes of hand, face, abdominal wall, uterus, penis, and lower limb transplantation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
K M Evans ◽  
L Y Kim ◽  
B A Schubert ◽  
J S Albert

SynopsisThe relationship between form and function is thought to play an integral role in structuring broad-scale patterns of morphological evolution and resource utilization. In ecomorphological studies, mechanical performance is widely understood to constrain the evolution of form and function. However, the relationship between form, function, and resource utilization is less clear. Additionally, seasonal fluctuations in resource availability may further complicate patterns of resource use. How organisms cope with these complexities, and the effect of these factors on broadscale patterns of morphological evolution is also poorly understood. Here we use three-dimensional geometric morphometrics, biomechanics, stable isotope analysis, and gut-content analysis to study trophic evolution in a clade of riverine-adapted electric fishes from a region with high seasonal variability; the Amazon River. We find significant and phylogenetically structured relationships among measures of trophic ecology and skull shape. We also recover a significant relationship between the mechanical advantage of the mandible and trophic position, where species feeding at higher trophic levels have narrower jaws with lower mechanical advantages, and species feeding at lower trophic levels have deeper jaws with higher mechanical advantages. Our results indicate that selection is driving the evolution of mandible shape and performance toward specialization on different trophic ecologies.


2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Steriopolo

Abstract This article investigates diminutive affixes in four unrelated languages: Maale, Walman, Kolyma Yukaghir, and Itelmen, with additional discussion of German, Breton, and Yiddish. The data show variation in the syntax of diminutives. Diminutives differ cross-linguistically in the manner and place of attachment in a syntactic tree. In terms of the manner of attachment, some diminutive affixes are shown to behave as syntactic heads, while others show a behaviour characteristic of syntactic modifiers. In terms of the place of attachment, some affixes attach in the number position, while others attach above it. This article contributes to a discussion of form-function correspondence between syntactic categories (Wiltschko, in press). It shows that although diminutives across languages have the same meaning (or function), they significantly differ in their syntactic structures (or form). Thus, there is no 1:1 correspondence between form and function of diminutives in terms of the attachment and ordering of morphemes.


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