We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Predicting the development of interrogative forms and functions in early years: a corpus-based study of Mandarin-speaking young children.
- Authors
LI, HUI; JING, MENGGUO; WONG, EILEEN CHIN MEI
- Abstract
This study examined the development of and possible predictors of interrogative forms and functions in early childhood Mandarin. All the interrogatives drawn from the Early Child Mandarin Corpus (168 children 2;6, 3;6, 4;6, and 5;6) were analyzed. The main results indicated that (i) there were significant age effects in interrogative forms and functions, with the periods between the ages of 3;6 and 4;6 and between the ages of 2;6 and 3;6 being critical in the early acquisition of interrogative forms and functions, respectively; (ii) the form–function preference was verified, with wh-questions being primarily used to seek information (RfI), and intonation/echo and rhetorical questions being used to request action (RfA); (iii) more than half (59·5%) of the Mandarin interrogatives were used for RfI, whereas only 38·9% of them were used for RfA; and (iv) age, TV viewing time, and parent–child conversation time were the significant predictors of interrogative development.
- Subjects
CHINA; MANDARIN dialects -- Study &; teaching; INTERROGATIVE (Grammar); PARENT-child relationships; CHILDREN; CHILDREN'S language; EDUCATIONAL forecasting; PARENT-child communication
- Publication
Journal of Child Language, 2017, Vol 44, Issue 1, p216
- ISSN
0305-0009
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1017/S0305000916000088