First Language Acquisition

As children pack more material into a single clause, they become able to convey more information in each utterance. This additional complexity comes at some cost: Children have to master the range of constructions conventionally used to convey each shade of meaning they are trying to express. They indicate more consistently whether information is given (already known to the addressee) or new, so keep track of information flow in an exchange. They add greater precision for the addressee by specifying semantic roles, modifying nouns with adjectives and quantifiers, and modifying verbs (with added locatives and adverbs). They add demonstratives and quantifiers, as in (1), with occasional errors as combinations become more complex, as in (2) (Clark, diary data):

(1) a. D (2;2.26, eyeing shredded wheat at breakfast): I want some of these. I want some of those …

b. D (2;3.26, in the car, having drunk his milk): I want some more milk.

(2) a. D (2;2.14, holding two toy buses): All both my buses.

b. D (2;3.4, at supper): We all both got pie.

They also start to use relative clauses to pick out the referents when there are several possible candidates, as in (3), where the relative clauses identify a specific building and a specific doll:

(3) a. D (2;0, looking at the institute where his parents work): I see [ə] building Eve go.

b. D (2;0,1, picking up a doll): Here [∂] doll Shelli give Damon.

Children elaborate verbs and verb phrases by adding inflections and auxiliary verbs; they become more adept at tracking referents, substituting pronouns for lexical noun phrases; and they make use of more constructions with each verb. Their general progress towards more adult-like usage is illustrated in the utterances in Table 9.1. Those in the top half come from diary observations of D, aged 1;6–1;7, while those in the bottom half come from the same child six months later (aged 2;2). Added complexity is not simply a matter of length – more words and more morphemes. It is also the acquisition of new constructions and expressions. Children extend their range not only with the acquisition of more words but also with phrases and constructions that can be combined to express both more precise and more complex meanings.