21.1405, Diss: Lang Acq: Kapia: 'The Role of Syntax and Pragmatics in the...'

Tue Mar 23 15:41:10 UTC 2010

LINGUIST List: Vol-21-1405. Tue Mar 23 2010. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 21.1405, Diss: Lang Acq: Kapia: 'The Role of Syntax and Pragmatics in the...'

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1)
Date: 22-Mar-2010
From: Enkeleida Kapia < ekapia at bu.edu >
Subject: The Role of Syntax and Pragmatics in the Structure and Acquisition of Clitic Doubling in Albanian

-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:39:47
From: Enkeleida Kapia [ekapia at bu.edu]
Subject: The Role of Syntax and Pragmatics in the Structure and Acquisition of Clitic Doubling in Albanian

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Institution: Boston University 
Program: Applied Linguistics 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2010 

Author: Enkeleida Kapia

Dissertation Title: The Role of Syntax and Pragmatics in the Structure and
Acquisition of Clitic Doubling in Albanian 

Linguistic Field(s): Language Acquisition

Dissertation Director(s):
Paul A Hagstrom
Shanley Allen
Cathy O'Connor
Peter Alrenga
Lydia White

Dissertation Abstract:

This dissertation investigates clitic doubling of both dative and 
accusative objects in adult and child language. It reports on three 
experimental studies designed to discover the specific distributional 
properties of this phenomenon, with particular attention to the effect of 
'rheme' and 'kontrast,' two distinct concepts often collapsed as 
'focus'. 

Study I investigates the patterns of clitic doubling through 
grammaticality judgment data from adults. Findings show that clitic 
doubling of dative objects is obligatory, while clitic doubling of 
accusative objects is governed by pragmatic factors. If the object is 
topical, clitic doubling is obligatory. If the object is rhematic and/or 
kontrastive, clitic doubling is prohibited. In addition, results suggest that 
clitic doubling of accusative objects is not differentially affected by 
rheme and kontrast. Study II answers the same research questions as 
Study I in elicited production data and serves as a baseline for Study III. 
Results from Study II confirm those of Study I. Study III investigates clitic 
doubling of both objects with children 2;0-4;0 years in elicited 
production data. Generalized Estimating Equation models show that 
children produce clitic doubling of dative objects at adult-like rates from 
age 2;0. However, they do not reach adult-like performance with 
accusative objects even by age 4;0. Children double topical accusative 
objects as adults do, but they insert a clitic about 20% of the time with 
rhematic/kontrastive accusative objects, which adults never do. This 
reveals either an underdeveloped pragmatic system in children or an 
underdeveloped syntax-pragmatics interface: either children take more 
referents to be given/old than adults do or the interface between 
syntax and pragmatics fails to accurately read the signals from the 
pragmatic system. The results presented here expand the literature of 
clitic doubling with data from dative clitics and offer support for the 
modular nature of language with syntax present from age 2;0 and 
pragmatics  or the interface between pragmatics and syntax not fully 
matured until after age 4;0. 

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