Object relative clauses in Dutch-speaking children with High-Functioning Autism (HFA)

Linguistics in the Netherlands ◽

10.1075/avt.33.10sch ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 33 ◽

pp. 135-151

Author(s):

Jeannette Schaeffer ◽

Bart Siekman

Keyword(s):

Relative Clauses ◽

High Functioning Autism ◽

Direct Object ◽

Verbal Reasoning ◽

High Functioning ◽

Shed Light ◽

Object Relative

Abstract Previous studies show that Direct Object Scrambling (DOS) is impaired in Dutch-speaking children with High-Functioning Autism (HFA). However, as DOS can be considered a syntax-pragmatics interface phenomenon, it is unclear whether DOS errors are due to impaired syntax or impaired pragmatics. In order to shed light on this question, the current study investigates Object Relative Clauses (ORC), assumed to involve syntactic object placement (as in DOS), but not pragmatics, in children with HFA. We examine the elicited production, comprehension and judgment of ORCs in 25 Dutch-speaking children with HFA (age 6–14) and 25 TD matches with comparable non-verbal reasoning scores. Results reveal no differences between groups, but show that, similar to TD children (and adults), children with HFA use passives and animacy to disambiguate ORCs. The TD-HFA similarity indicates that the syntactic part of DOS is unimpaired in children with HFA and suggests problems with the pragmatic part.

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A SUBJECT-OBJECT ASYMMETRY IN THE ACQUISITION OF RELATIVE CLAUSES IN KOREAN AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Studies in Second Language Acquisition ◽

10.1017/s0272263103000172 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 433-448 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

William O'Grady ◽

Miseon Lee ◽

Miho Choo

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Relative Clauses ◽

Distance Effect ◽

Direct Object ◽

Strong Preference ◽

Structural Factors ◽

Structural Account ◽

Linear Distance ◽

English Speaking ◽

Object Relative

A variety of studies have reported that learners of English as a second language find subject relative clauses easier to produce and comprehend than direct object relatives, but it is unclear whether this preference should be attributed to structural factors or to a linear distance effect. This paper seeks to resolve this issue and to extend our understanding of SLA in general by investigating the interpretation of subject and direct object relative clauses by English-speaking learners of Korean, a left-branching language in which subject gaps in relative clauses are more distant from the head than are object gaps. The results of a comprehension task conducted with 53 beginning and intermediate learners point toward a strong preference for subject relative clauses, favoring the structural account.

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Pronominal resumption in Spanish direct object relative clauses

Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics ◽

10.1515/shll-2018-0009 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 265-301

Author(s):

Álvaro Cerrón-Palomino

Keyword(s):

Social Factors ◽

Regression Models ◽

Semantic Processing ◽

Relative Clauses ◽

Direct Object ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Resumptive Pronouns ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

The Social ◽

Object Relative

Abstract This variationist study analyzes the linguistic and social factors constraining the alternation of resumptive pronouns (RPs) and gaps in direct object (DO) relative clauses (RCs) in the Peruvian Limeño variety. Using a number of mixed-effects (logistic regression) models in Rbrul, results reveal that the set of linguistic constraints favoring pronominal DO resumption does not coincide with those reported to promote subject and oblique RP presence in previous studies. Furthermore, when compared to their subject and oblique counterparts, DO RPs are constrained by a higher number of factors of syntactic, semantic, processing and pragmatic nature. I suggest that this sensitivity to a broader set of constraints is crucial in explaining why DO RPs are more frequent in RCs than subject and oblique RPs. With respect to the social factors analyzed, this study shows a lack of effect of gender, age and education on the speaker’s choice for the resumptive variant.

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Asymmetries in children's production of relative clauses: data from English and Korean

Journal of Child Language ◽

10.1017/s0305000915000422 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 43 (5) ◽

pp. 1038-1071 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

CHAE-EUN KIM ◽

WILLIAM O'GRADY

Keyword(s):

Relative Clause ◽

Relative Clauses ◽

Head Noun ◽

Direct Object ◽

Indirect Object ◽

Object Relative

ABSTRACTWe report here on a series of elicited production experiments that investigate the production of indirect object and oblique relative clauses by monolingual child learners of English and Korean. Taken together, the results from the two languages point toward a pair of robust asymmetries: children manifest a preference for subject relative clauses over indirect object relative clauses, and for direct object relative clauses over oblique relative clauses. We consider various possible explanations for these preferences, of which the most promising seems to involve the requirement that the referent of the head noun be easily construed as what the relative clause is about.

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Relativas cortadoras: mover e cortar? Ou cortar antes de mover?

Revista da Associação Portuguesa de Linguística ◽

10.26334/2183-9077/rapln7ano2020a10 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 151-175

Author(s):

Ana Espírito Santo

Keyword(s):

Relative Clauses ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Judgment Task ◽

Direct Object ◽

European Portuguese ◽

Null Element ◽

Syntactic Derivation ◽

Acceptability Judgment ◽

Object Relative

With this article, we aim at providing an answer to two main theoretical questions: what is the syntactic derivation of European Portuguese P-chopping relative clauses? And what is the nature of the phonetically and semantically null element that integrates them? We also attempt to identify constants that allow us to predict other lexical contexts for the occurrence of P-chopping relative clauses other than the ones already described in the literature. We support our conclusions with the data collected in an acceptability judgment task that included 76 native speakers. Our proposal is a derivation for P-chopping relative clauses similar to the existing one for direct object relative clauses, assuming that the null element that integrates them has the properties of a variable.

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Asperger Syndrome or High-functioning Autism? Edited by E. Schopler, G. B. Mesibov, & L. J. Kunce. Plenum Press, New York, 1998. pp. 410. $49.50 (hb).

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry ◽

10.1017/s0021963099223839 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 40 (5) ◽

pp. 829-832

Author(s):

Patricia Howlin

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Asperger Syndrome ◽

High Functioning Autism ◽

High Functioning

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Social Communication and Structural Language of Girls With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/2020_lshss-20-00004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (4) ◽

pp. 1139-1155

Author(s):

Jenny M. Burton ◽

Nancy A. Creaghead ◽

Noah Silbert ◽

Allison Breit-Smith ◽

Amie W. Duncan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Adaptive Behavior ◽

Social Communication ◽

High Functioning Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales ◽

High Functioning ◽

Expressive Communication ◽

Vineland Adaptive Behavior ◽

Structural Language

Purpose The purpose of this study was to characterize social communication and structural language of school-age girls with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HF-ASD) compared to a matched group of girls who are typically developing (TD). Method Participants were 37 girls between 7;5 and 15;2 (years;months)—18 HF-ASD and 19 TD. Children completed the Test of Pragmatic Language–Second Edition (TOPL-2) and Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals–Fifth Edition. Parents completed the Children's Communication Checklist–2 United States Edition (CCC-2) and Receptive and Expressive Communication subdomains of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales–Second Edition. Results In the area of social communication, girls with HF-ASD earned significantly lower scores and were more often classified as having an impairment on the TOPL-2 and the CCC-2. However, 28% and 33% earned average scores on the TOPL-2 and the CCC-2, respectively. In the area of structural language, no significant differences were found between groups on Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals–Fifth Edition indexes. In contrast, girls with HF-ASD earned significantly lower scores and were more often classified as having an impairment on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales–Second Edition. Sixty-one percent and 83% scored below average on the Receptive and Expressive Communication subdomains, respectively. Conclusions It has been argued that girls with HF-ASD, when compared to boys with HF-ASD, may have advantages for social communication and structural language that mask their impairments. However, when compared to girls who are TD, girls with HF-ASD demonstrated impaired social communication and structural language. Clinicians should include and carefully examine multiple sources of information when assessing girls with HF-ASD.

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