Linguists have long been intrigued with children’s acquisition of their native tongue. But only since the 1970s, considerable attention has been paid to first language acquisition in research (Kuczaj & Barrett 1986: ix). First language acquisition is the study of when and how infants and children get a command of their native tongue (Goodluck 1991: 1). Even though there are a number of empirical studies and data, there is still a significant need for further research on children’s language acquisition. The fact that children acquire implicit and productive knowledge of adult grammar—even though they do not obtain explicit instruction in the linguistic rules of their specific language and their language input is severely restricted to the speech that they hear—is called the logical problem of language acquisition (Goodluck 1991: 3). According to Goodluck, this logical problem is the reason why the notion of an innate and unconscious linguistic knowledge is quite common among (psycho)linguists (1991: 3). The assumption that the child is biologically equipped with fundamental linguistic knowledge can additionally be justified with the fact that deaf children babble (Goodluck 1991: 141). The study of first language acquisition is as complex as the process itself since there are different theories and approaches and, most importantly, because language acquisition differs cross-linguistically and individually. The paper explains how English-speaking children start to acquire past tense structures and elucidates the patterns in which regular and irregular past tense forms are acquired.This is particularly interesting because children’s acquisition of relational terms like verbs has only recently been studied in greater detail (Behrens 2001: 451).
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: First language acquisition
2. On learning verbs
3. Acquisition of past tense structures
3.1 Tense and aspect
3.2 Regular and irregular verbs
4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Topics
This paper explores the complex processes of first language acquisition in English-speaking children, with a specific focus on the development of past tense structures. It examines how children transition from rote-learning individual irregular verb forms to mastering the systematic, rule-based application of regular past tense inflections, while also addressing the phenomenon of overgeneralization.
- Mechanisms of language acquisition and the logical problem of grammar.
- The semantic and syntactic complexity of verbs versus nouns.
- U-shaped development in the acquisition of past tense inflections.
- Cognitive and phonological factors influencing overgeneralization errors.
- The role of individual differences and input frequency in verbal morphology.
Excerpt from the Book
3. Acquisition of past tense structures
The past tense modification of English verbs signals two different meanings: first, what Brown calls “earlierness”, and second, to posit a substitute for reality as in if I were you (1973: 322). The following will only consider children’s acquisition of the semantic concept of earlierness, i.e., “the occurrence of an action or state at a time anterior to the time of utterance” (Brown 1973: 322). Brown investigated the speech of three preschool children—Adam, Eve, and Sarah—and found that earlierness is semantically understood from an early age (1973: 322).
For example, Eve and Sarah, when they were two and a half years old, produced utterances such as What did you doed?, Did you bought this?, and I didn’t did nothing (Brown 1973: 333). Even though they were mistaken in signaling earlierness twice, none of these errors suggest a failure to understand the underlying semantic concept of the past tense form (Brown 1973: 333).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: First language acquisition: Provides an overview of the fundamental theories surrounding how infants acquire their native language, highlighting the "logical problem" of language acquisition.
2. On learning verbs: Discusses the inherent difficulties children face in acquiring verbs due to their complex relational nature compared to concrete nouns.
3. Acquisition of past tense structures: Analyzes the developmental stages of tense and aspect, specifically how children learn to differentiate between regular and irregular past tense forms.
3.1 Tense and aspect: Examines the cognitive requirements for understanding temporal concepts and how children move toward adult-like usage of tense inflections.
3.2 Regular and irregular verbs: Investigates the dual-route model of morphology and why children frequently produce overgeneralization errors during language development.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes the key findings regarding the item-by-item learning of irregulars and the rule-based acquisition of regular past tense, emphasizing the complexity of the process.
5. Bibliography: Lists the academic sources and empirical studies referenced throughout the paper.
Keywords
First Language Acquisition, Past Tense, Verbs, Morphological Segmentation, Overgeneralization, U-shaped Development, Grammatical Morphemes, Universal Grammar, Inflectional Morphology, Language Input, Child Linguistics, Semantics, Syntactic Complexity, Developmental Stages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines how English-speaking children acquire the morphological structures necessary to express the past tense, focusing on the development from initial irregular verb use to the systematic application of regular rules.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The work covers language acquisition theories, the transition from rote memory to rule induction, the semantic understanding of "earlierness," and the phonological and cognitive factors that trigger overgeneralization.
What is the main research question or goal?
The goal is to provide an overview of how English-speaking children learn to map past tense meanings onto verb forms and how they navigate the challenge of distinguishing between regular and irregular conjugation patterns.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The paper utilizes a literature-based synthesis, examining longitudinal study data (such as Brown’s study of Adam, Eve, and Sarah) and various developmental linguistics models to interpret morphological acquisition.
What topics are addressed in the main body?
The main body details the "noun bias" in early vocabulary, the U-shaped learning curve for past tense, the influence of verb frequency on acquisition, and the role of feedback in correcting overgeneralized forms.
Which keywords define this work?
The research is characterized by terms such as first language acquisition, past tense, morphological segmentation, overgeneralization, and developmental linguistics.
How does the "dual-route model" explain child language development?
The model suggests that children use two distinct mechanisms: a memory storage device for high-frequency irregular forms and a rule-based system for appending the /ed/ suffix to regular verbs.
Why do children produce errors like "goed" or "ated"?
These errors, known as overgeneralizations, occur when a child successfully induces the rule for regular past tense formation but applies it incorrectly to irregular stems, reflecting an active attempt to master the grammar system.
How does the phonetic shape of a verb affect its acquisition?
Research suggests that verbs ending in an alveolar stop (like /t/ or /d/) are less likely to be overgeneralized because their present tense form already aligns with the past tense schema, making the transition more robust.
- Quote paper
- Bachelor of Arts Jella Delzer (Author), 2020, First Language Acquisition. How Englisch-speaking children acquire past tense structures, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1139471
