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[Klaus Laalo]

On Fri, 19 Feb 1999, Asma Siddiki wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> I don't know the answer to the following question and would like some help
> please.
>
> Do children learn the
> infinitive later than the indicative, and if so, then why?
>
> references????  - thanks.
>
> Asma
> ************************************************************
> Asma Siddiki		     Dept. of Experimental Psychology
> Oriel College                South Parks Road
> Oxford University            Oxford University
> OX1 4EW                      OX1 3UD
> *************************************************************
>
>
>
>
>
>
At least in Finnish this is the case. The 3rd person indicative is
pragmatically important and in FInnish also morphologically simple.
References: Jorma TOivainen in the newest volume in the series
Cross-linguistic comparison... (ed. by Slobin); many colleagues and also I
myself have published some material but in mostly in Finnish,
unfortunately. The doctoral dissertation of Toivainen is also in English
(in the references of his contribution in SLobin (ed.) mentioned above and
includes good material.
Yours
Klaus Laalo