How Do The Developmental Trajectories Of English-speaking Children's Use Of 'wh'-movement In Embedded Clauses (e.g., 'the Dog That The Cat Chased') Differ From Those Of Children Acquiring Languages With More Flexible Word Order, Such As Turkish Or Japanese, And What Implications Do These Differences Have For Our Understanding Of The Role Of Syntactic Bootstrapping In Early Language Acquisition?

by ADMIN 398 views

The developmental trajectories of 'wh'-movement in embedded clauses among English-speaking children and those acquiring Turkish or Japanese differ significantly, reflecting the structural demands of each language. Here's a structured summary of the differences and their implications:

  1. 'Wh'-Movement in English vs. Turkish and Japanese:

    • English: English relies heavily on 'wh'-movement to form questions and relative clauses due to its fixed word order. For example, "the dog that the cat chased" uses 'that' moved from the object position.
    • Turkish and Japanese: These languages have flexible word order and use particles or morphological markers instead of 'wh'-movement. For instance, Japanese uses particles like "wa" and "ga" to indicate grammatical roles.

  2. Developmental Differences:

    • English-Speaking Children: They begin using 'wh'-movement structures earlier because English syntax requires it. This early use facilitates quick development in forming complex sentences.
    • Turkish and Japanese Children: They develop without relying on 'wh'-movement, instead using word order flexibility and particles. This leads to a different pathway in mastering sentence complexity.

  3. Implications for Syntactic Bootstrapping:

    • English: The use of 'wh'-movement may aid in earlier semantic understanding, as children leverage syntax to infer meaning.
    • Turkish and Japanese: Children may develop semantic skills through word order and morphological cues, suggesting that syntactic bootstrapping strategies vary by language.

  4. Conclusion:

    • The differences highlight that syntactic bootstrapping is not uniform. English children use 'wh'-movement to understand syntax and semantics, while Turkish and Japanese children rely on other mechanisms. This suggests that language-specific structures guide how children acquire syntax and semantics, indicating a need for a nuanced understanding of syntactic bootstrapping in language acquisition theories.