The Acquisition of Intensifiers: Emphatic Reflexives in English and German Child Language

294 Pages·2006·0.88 MB·English

by  Insa Gulzow

The Acquisition of Intensifiers
≥
Studies on Language Acquisition
22
Editor
Peter Jordens
Mouton de Gruyter
Berlin · New York
The Acquisition of
Intensifiers
Emphatic Reflexives in English and
German Child Language
by
Insa Gülzow
Mouton de Gruyter
Berlin · New York
MoutondeGruyter(formerlyMouton,TheHague)
isaDivisionofWalterdeGruyterGmbH&Co.KG,Berlin.
(cid:2)(cid:2) Printedonacid-freepaperwhichfallswithintheguidelines
oftheANSItoensurepermanenceanddurability.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Gülzow,Insa,1967(cid:2)
Theacquisitionofintensifiers:emphaticreflexivesinEng-
lishandGermanchildlanguage/byInsaGülzow.
p.cm.(cid:2)(Studiesonlanguageacquisition;22)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN-13:978-3-11-018591-1(cloth:alk.paper)
ISBN-10:3-11-018591-1(cloth:alk.paper)
1.Germanlanguage(cid:2)Reflexives. 2.Englishlanguage(cid:2)
Reflexives. 3. Germanlanguage(cid:2)Acquisition. 4.English
language (cid:2) Acquisition. 5.German language (cid:2) Grammar,
Comparative (cid:2) English. 6. English language (cid:2) Grammar,
Comparative(cid:2)German. I.Title. II.Series.
PF3315.R4G85 2006
4351.6(cid:2)dc22
2005034186
ISBN-13: 978-3-11-018591-1
ISBN-10: 3-11-018591-1
ISSN 1861-4248
BibliographicinformationpublishedbyDieDeutscheBibliothek
DieDeutscheBibliothekliststhispublicationintheDeutscheNationalbibliografie;
detailedbibliographicdataisavailableintheInternetat(cid:3)http://dnb.ddb.de(cid:4).
(cid:2) Copyright2006byWalterdeGruyterGmbH&Co.KG,D-10785Berlin.
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maybereproducedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopy,
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Coverdesign:SigurdWendland,Berlin.
PrintedinGermany.
Für meine Großmutter, Grete Finger
To my grandmother, Grete Finger

Contents
Chapter 1
Intensifiers and agent-sensitive expressions 1
1. The aim of the study 1
2. Intensifiers from a cross-linguistic perspective 4
2.1. Morphosyntactic properties 5
2.2. Use types and contexts of occurrence 7
2.2.1. Adnominal intensifiers 8
2.2.2. Adverbial exclusive intensifiers 9
2.2.3. Age effect 11
2.2.4. Implied competence 12
2.2.5. Adverbial inclusive intensifiers 13
2.2.6. Summary 15
3. Intensifiers and reflexive pronouns 15
3.1. Formal identity versus formal distinctness 16
3.2. Non-referential use of reflexives 18
3.3. Reflexives in subject position 20
3.4. Summary 21
4. Agent-sensitive expressions 22
4.1. Basic notions 24
4.1.1. Selbst/alleinversus von selbst/von allein 25
4.1.2. Causative relations 26
4.1.3. Compositionality of the AGENT proto-role 28
4.1.4. Von selbst/von allein and volition 29
4.1.5. Causativity and volition 31
4.1.6. Von selbst/von allein with inanimate referents 34
4.1.7. Summary 36
4.2. Inner structure and overview of syntax 36
4.3.Selbst/selber and x-self 42
4.4.Allein,by x-self and on one’s own 46
4.5.Von selbst/von allein, by itself and on its own 51
4.6.Von sich aus, aus eigenem Antrieb/Willen and 52
of one’s own accord
5. Framework for child language data analysis 53
viii Contents
Chapter 2
The expression x-self in acquisition studies 54
1. Reflexive x-self and binding theory 55
1.1. Binding condition A and the acquisition of the adnominal 57
intensifier
1.2. Children’s knowledge of principle B 60
1.2.1. Pragmatic principle P 61
1.2.2. Sentence-level and discourse-level anaphora 64
1.2.3. Lexical failure 68
1.2.4. The subset principle 71
1.3. Summary 73
2. Logophoric reflexives 75
2.1. Logophoric reflexives and intensifiers 76
2.2. The acquisition of logophoric reflexives 79
3. Children’s early systems and historical development 82
of x-self
4. The expression x-self in production data 85
5. Research questions 88
5.1 The emergence of intensifiers and related agent-sensitive 92
expressions
5.2. Intensifiers versus reflexive pronouns 93
Chapter 3
Intensifiers in German and English production data 94
1. The data and coding procedure 94
1.1. The data 94
1.2. Coding procedure 97
2. Three use-types of intensifiers in the data of the children 100
2.1. Proportions of adnominal, adverbial exclusive and 101
adverbial inclusive intensifiers
2.2. Inclusive intensifiers and additive focus particles auch 103
andtoo
2.3. Inclusive intensifiers in contexts of independent agency 104
2.3.1. Kerstin’s use of adverbial inclusive selbst/selber 105
2.3.2. Adam’s use of adverbial inclusivex-self 110
2.3.3. Summary 112
3. Intensifiers versus related agent-sensitive expressions 112
3.1. The German children 114
3.1.1. Caroline: selbst/selber and allein 115
3.1.2. Kerstin: selbst/selber and allein 117
Contents ix
3.1.3. Simone: selbst/selber and allein 118
3.1.4. Julia, Daniel and Mathias: allein 118
3.1.5. Summary 119
3.2. The English children 119
3.2.1. Ross, Nina and Shem: x-self and by x-self 120
3.2.2. Adam, Abe and Sarah: x-self and by x-self 121
3.2.3. Summary 122
4. The development of non-nominative means of encoding
agency 123
4.1. Quantitative considerations 123
4.2. The German children’s use of allein: Caroline 125
4.2.1. Caroline’s use of allein: 0;10-1;9 126
4.2.2. Caroline’s use of allein: 1;10-2;0 128
4.2.3. Caroline’s use of allein: 2,1-2;3 131
4.2.4. Caroline’s use of allein: 2,4-2;6 133
4.2.5. Caroline’s use of allein: 2;7-2;9 136
4.2.6. Summary 137
4.3. Kerstin’s use of allein 138
4.3.1. Kerstin’s use of allein: 2;7-2;9 138
4.3.2. Kerstin’s use of allein: 2;10-3;3 140
4.3.3. The category ‘other’ and Kerstin’s use 141
of allein: 3;4-3;6
4.3.4. Summary 142
4.4. Simone’s use of allein 142
4.4.1. Simone’s use of allein: 1;9-2;0 143
4.4.2. Simone’s use of allein: 2,1-2;3 146
4.4.3. Simone’s use of allein: 2;4-2;6 151
4.4.4. Simone’s use of allein: 2;7-3;0 153
4.4.5. Simone’s use of allein: 3;1-3;6 155
4.4.6. Simone’s use of allein: 3;7-4;0 158
4.4.7. Summary 159
4.5. Julia’s, Daniel’s and Mathias’ use of allein 160
4.6. The German children’s use of selbst/selber: Caroline 162
4.6.1. Caroline’s use of selbst/selber: 2;1-2;3 162
4.6.2. Caroline’s use of selbst/selber: 2;4-2;6 163
4.6.3. Caroline’s use of selbst/selber: 2;7-2;9 171
4.6.4. Summary 173
4.7. Kerstin’s use of selbst/selber 174
4.8. Simone’s use of selbst/selber 176
4.8.1. Simone’s use of selbst/selber: 1;10-2;0 176