TY - JOUR
T1 - The emergence of present perfect verb forms
T2 - Semantic influences on selective imitation
AU - Johnson, Cynthia J.
N1 - Funding Information:
[*] A portion of this article was presented at the American Speech and Hearing Convention in Detroit, Michigan, November 1980. This study was part of a doctoral dissertation completed at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. I wish to acknowledge the influence of Gerald Siegel, Michael Maratsos, Patricia Broen, Charles Speaks, and Kathleen Houlihan in shaping the ideas expressed in this work. I am also grateful to the preschool teachers and children who contributed their time and enthusiasm. This research was conducted while the author was supported by a United States Office of Education predoctoral traineeship and was supported in part by a Dissertation Special Grant from the Graduate School of the University of Minnesota and by the Center for Research in Human Learning at the University of Minnesota. Address for correspondence: Depart-ment of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois, 901 S. Sixth St., Champaign, Illinois 61820.
Copyright:
Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1985/6
Y1 - 1985/6
N2 - This study investigates forms and functions of the perfect in 22 preschool children. Children retold and re-enacted two-sentence stories which modelled the perfect. Although the perfect appeared to be emerging in imitative speech, including certain ungrammatical forms, children varied in the extent to which they used it and appreciated its meaning of current relevance. Three factors were found to influence children's selective imitation and paraphrasing of the perfect: form of the verb (present perfect versus perfect progressive), semantic sense of the perfect, and duration of the lexical verb. Children's performance demonstrates the need to consider not only the developmental frequency of advanced, optional verb forms but the generality of their use and their relation to the child's lexicon.
AB - This study investigates forms and functions of the perfect in 22 preschool children. Children retold and re-enacted two-sentence stories which modelled the perfect. Although the perfect appeared to be emerging in imitative speech, including certain ungrammatical forms, children varied in the extent to which they used it and appreciated its meaning of current relevance. Three factors were found to influence children's selective imitation and paraphrasing of the perfect: form of the verb (present perfect versus perfect progressive), semantic sense of the perfect, and duration of the lexical verb. Children's performance demonstrates the need to consider not only the developmental frequency of advanced, optional verb forms but the generality of their use and their relation to the child's lexicon.
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U2 - 10.1017/S0305000900006462
DO - 10.1017/S0305000900006462
M3 - Article
C2 - 4019606
AN - SCOPUS:0022081737
VL - 12
SP - 325
EP - 352
JO - Journal of Child Language
JF - Journal of Child Language
SN - 0305-0009
IS - 2
ER -