Crosslinguistic Evidence for Functional Projections in Early Child Grammar

• Published in: LANGUAGE ACQUISITION STUDIES IN GENERATIVE GRAMMAR, Hoekstra, Teun, & Schwartz, Bonnie D. [Eds], Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 1994, pp 57-84
• Main Authors: Deprez, Viviane, Pierce, Amy
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.1901
• ISBN: 9789027224736; 9027224730
• ISSN: 0925-0123

The hypothesis that functional projections are available from the beginning of language acquisition is confirmed by cross-linguistic evidence cited from previous studies of early negative & subject positions in English, French, & German & of verb-to-COMP movement in these languages & Swedish. Early acquisition of verb raising to the I node is attested, with apparent finite-nonfinite distinctions; a universal delay in the development of verb-to-COMP movement is suggested. Possible differences between child & adult grammar that would account for this discrepancy are examined, & explanations in terms of economy & empty auxiliaries are critiqued. The data assembled here favor a different hypothesis: parameters that govern a unique way to satisfy a universal principle, eg, wh-movement & verb-to-I movement, are set early; parameter settings for noun phrase raising & verb-to-COMP movement, which involve different possible options cross-linguistically, remain open during a period of optional realization of the available possibilities. 2 Tables, 43 References. J. Hitchcock