Minimal Answers
Ellipsis, syntax and discourse in the acquisition of European Portuguese
1st Edition
Published on 11. March 2009
XV, 296 pages
978-90-272-8976-6 (ISBN)
Description
This book offers a new contribution to the debate concerning the acquisition of the syntax-discourse interface. It provides evidence that children acquiring European Portuguese have a very early ability to spontaneously produce VP ellipsis as answers to yes-no questions. It is also argued that the distribution of VP ellipsis in European Portuguese (including its co-existence with Null Complement Anaphora) supports the hypothesis that the identification condition on ellipsis is derivable from some innate knowledge of the syntax-discourse interface. Answers to yes-no questions also provide evidence concerning children's interpretation of questions containing a cleft or the operator só 'only'. The analysis of spontaneous production is complemented by a comprehension experiment, showing that children have two problems in the interpretation of these questions: (i) they do not understand that the cleft and só introduce a presupposition and (ii) they start with a default focus assignment strategy and may not access other focus interpretations.
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Ana Lucia Santos
Minimal Answers
Ellipsis, syntax and discourse in the acquisition of European Portuguese
Book
03/2009
John Benjamins Publishing Co
€111.30
Shipment within 10-15 days
Person
Content
List of tables
List of figures
Preface
Abbreviations used in glosses
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. VPE and the structural and anaphoric properties of minimal answers in EP adult grammar
Chapter 3. Learnability issues in VPE and focus
Chapter 4. How early can VPE be found?
Chapter 5. Answers as a window into the interpretation of questions
Chapter 6. Conclusions
References
Subject index
List of figures
Preface
Abbreviations used in glosses
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. VPE and the structural and anaphoric properties of minimal answers in EP adult grammar
Chapter 3. Learnability issues in VPE and focus
Chapter 4. How early can VPE be found?
Chapter 5. Answers as a window into the interpretation of questions
Chapter 6. Conclusions
References
Subject index
