Derived nominals are abstract nouns derived from verbs and adjectives
by nominalization. This study traces the route taken by Hebrew-speaking
children in the acquisition of Hebrew derived nominals
(HDNs) of two types: action nominals which conform in structure to the
small set of obligatory verb patterns (binyanim) (e.g. ktiva
‘writing’) and
deverbal nouns, which belong to separate nominal patterns (e.g. maga
‘touch’). One hundred native speakers of Hebrew (children aged
5, 8, 11
and 15, and adults) were tested on comprehension and production of
HDNs. The test items were grouped by binyan patterns and by
morphological regularity. Results showed that acquisition of HDNs
starts at about age 8 and is not complete by age 15, and that task type,
binyan pattern and morphological regularity all affect ease of
acquisition.
We consider the strategies employed in the course of acquisition of
HDNs and offer an explanation for this late acquisition which requires
a vast amount of prior integrated knowledge.