Thinking About Multiword Constructions: Usage‐Based Approaches to Acquisition and Processing

Usage‐based approaches to language hold that we learn multiword expressions as patterns of language from language usage, and that knowledge of these patterns underlies fluent language processing. This paper explores these claims by focusing upon verb–argument constructions (VACs) such as “V(erb) about n(oun phrase).” These are productive constructions that bind syntax, lexis, and semantics. It presents (a) analyses of usage patterns of English VACs in terms of their grammatical form, semantics, lexical constituency, and distribution patterns in large corpora; (b) patterns of VAC usage in child‐directed speech and child language acquisition; and (c) investigations of VAC free‐association and psycholinguistic studies of online processing. We conclude that VACs are highly patterned in usage, that this patterning drives language acquisition, and that language processing is sensitive to the forms of the syntagmatic construction and their distributional statistics, the contingency of their association with meaning, and spreading activation and prototypicality effects in semantic reference. Language users have rich implicit knowledge of the statistics of multiword sequences.Ellis & Ogden examine the acquisition, processing and usage of verb‐argument constructions in English. They analyze the semantic, grammatical and distributional features of these multiword constructions in a large corpus; describes their use by both L1 and L2 learners; and reviews psycholinguistic findings on their processing by native and non‐native speakers. The findings demonstrate that language users have rich implicit statistical knowledge of multiword patterns and use this knowledge in learning and processing.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137734/1/tops12256.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137734/2/tops12256_am.pd

Multiword Units Predict Non-inversion Errors in Children's Wh-questions: "What Corpus Data Can Tell Us?".

Subject-auxiliary inversion in interrogatives has been a topic of great interest in language acquisition research, and has often been held up as evidence for the structure-dependence of grammar. Usage-based and nativist approaches posit different representations and processes underlying children’s question formation and therefore predict different causes for these errors. Here, we explore the question of whether input statistics predict children’s spontaneous non-inversion errors with wh- questions. In contrast to previous studies, we look at properties of the non-inverted, errorful forms of questions. Through a series of corpus analyses, we show that the frequency of uninverted subsequences (e.g., “she is going” in “what she is going to do?*”) is a good predictor of children’s errors, consistent with recent evidence for multiword units in children’s comprehension and production. This finding has implications for the types of mental representations and cognitive processes researchers ascribe to children acquiring a first language

Social cognitive and later language acquisition

A great number of studies suggest that children’s acquisition of mental-state language supports, or even facilitates, their understanding of others’ mental states and perspectives. However, based on previous research, it has often been difficult to determine which aspects of mental-state language support this so-called Theory of Mind understanding. Whereas some researchers have argued that it is the semantics of mental verbs, such as think and know, others have suggested that it is the subordinate structure of complement-clause constructions, such as She thinks that the sticker is in the red box. In English, these two aspects are often confounded: mental verbs are typically used in complement-clause constructions. However, more recent studies have turned to languages such as Chinese and German, which allow us to distinguish between verbal semantics and syntactic constructions and also look at their interaction. Overall, these studies suggest that both semantics and syntax can play a role in children’s Theory of Mind development. In this chapter I also present some findings that indicate that whether or not the semantics of mental verbs supports children’s Theory of Mind development depends on how exactly they are used in complement-clause constructions. Since these usage patterns differ across languages, we can also see cross-linguistic differences in the interaction between verbal semantics, syntactic patterns and Theory of Mind development

The impact of multi-word units in early foreign language learning and teaching contexts: a systematic review

This systematic review reports on research investigating the impact of multi-word unit (MWU) input on young learners' second language (L2) attainment in instructed settings. Recent findings suggest that L2 learners can generalise from MWU input, abstract patterns and employ such schemata productively via slot-filling, indicating that MWUs are key catalysts of learners' L2 development. Simultaneously, primary school L2 instruction is on the rise worldwide and the importance of MWUs is acknowledged in curricula, teacher education and teaching materials. Therefore, the incentive of this review is to systematically report the state of the art of research regarding the impact of MWU instruction in early L2 teaching contexts. The review covers English, German and French research into typically developing monolingual children aged 5–12 learning an L2 in instructed teaching settings. Only two of the total results (n = 2233) met the inclusion criteria. Following quality assessment using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and based on a narrative synthesis of available results, we cannot report trustworthy evidence of the effectiveness of teaching MWUs to young L2 learners. We highlight the lack of research evidence and conclude that existing research lacks robust evidence that MWU input already established in teaching contexts has a measurable effect on specific aspects of students' L2 attainment, such as productive skills. Although we promote MWU's potentially facilitating role in L2 development, we call for more classroom-based intervention research on MWUs in primary school contexts to enable much-needed evidence-based recommendations for L2 teaching to support L2 learning outcomes in primary schools

Expresión oral en niños de cinco años de dos instituciones educativas de Lima – 2022

La presente investigación es de tipo básica de diseño comparativo de enfoque cuantitativo no experimental, titulada expresión oral en niños de 5 años de dos Instituciones Educativas de Lima 2022 tuvo como objetivo general comparar los niveles de lenguaje oral en niños de 5 años. El objetivo específico fue comparar los niveles de lenguaje oral en sus dimensiones contenido, uso y forma en niños de 5 años de dos Instituciones Educativas de Lima. Para poder recolectar los datos se utilizó el test de screening Plon-R. En la comparación de los niveles de lenguaje oral en estudiantes 5 años se aprecia que el 53.8% de los encuestados del colegio uno se encuentra en un nivel normal de lenguaje oral, mientras que los encuestados del colegio dos solo el 13.6% se encuentra en nivel normal. Se observa también que el 30.8% de los participantes colegio 1 se encuentra en el nivel necesita mejorar, en cambio en el colegio 2 se observa el 22.7% en ese nivel además en el nivel retraso en el colegio uno alcanza un 15.4% en comparación a los evaluados en el colegio dos que alcanzan un 63.6%. En conclusión, el objetivo principal de la presente investigación se encontró diferencias significativas en los niveles del lenguaje oral de los niños de 5 años de edad de dos Instituciones Educativas de Lima

Learning to generalise but not segment an artificial language at 17 months predicts children’s language skills 3 years later

We investigated whether learning an artificial language at 17 months was predictive of children’s natural language vocabulary and grammar skills at 54 months. Children at 17 months listened to an artificial language containing non-adjacent dependencies, and were then tested on their learning to segment and to generalise the structure of the language. At 54 months, children were then tested on a range of standardised natural language tasks that assessed receptive and expressive vocabulary and grammar. A structural equation model demonstrated that learning the artificial language generalisation at 17 months predicted language abilities – a composite of vocabulary and grammar skills – at 54 months, whereas artificial language segmentation at 17 months did not predict language abilities at this age. Artificial language learning tasks – especially those that probe grammar learning – provide a valuable tool for uncovering the mechanisms driving children’s early language development

Learning to generalise but not segment an artificial language at 17 months predicts children’s language skills 3 years later

We investigated whether learning an artificial language at 17 months was predictive of children’s natural language vocabulary and grammar skills at 54 months. Children at 17 months listened to an artificial language containing non-adjacent dependencies, and were then tested on their learning to segment and to generalise the structure of the language. At 54 months, children were then tested on a range of standardised natural language tasks that assessed receptive and expressive vocabulary and grammar. A structural equation model demonstrated that learning the artificial language generalisation at 17 months predicted language abilities – a composite of vocabulary and grammar skills – at 54 months, whereas artificial language segmentation at 17 months did not predict language abilities at this age. Artificial language learning tasks – especially those that probe grammar learning – provide a valuable tool for uncovering the mechanisms driving children’s early language development

新しい話者の視座から見た琉球諸語の開花の取り組み (Efflorescence of Ryukyuan Languages from Perspectives of New Speakers)

筆者は現在，博士研究の一環として，Hintonのマスター・アプレンティス言語学習プログラムを参考にして，琉球諸語の新しい話者の支援に焦点を当てたMAI-Ryukyusプロジェクトを実施している。研究の問いは，新しい話者が琉球諸語を話す原動力，琉球諸語の多様性を可能な限り温存した言語習得，琉球の世界観に基づいた思考の枠組み（研究パラダイム）の探究である。本稿では，その中間所見に基づいて，琉球諸語話者が抱える心理的トラウマ，琉球諸語の言語運用能力を高め多様性を温存する方法，琉球の思考の枠組み，現行の日本国行政の問題点について考察した