LINGUIST List 15.110

Thu Jan 15 2004

Diss: Lang Acquisition: van der Weert: 'Universal...'

Editor for this issue: Takako Matsui <takolinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. llr99cfv, Universal Grammer and Discourse

Institution: University of Reading
Program: School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies,
Linguistic Science Division
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2003

Author: Cecile Florence van der Weert

Dissertation Title: Universal Grammer and Discourse

Linguistic Field: Language Acquisition

Dissertation Director 1: Spyridoula Varlokosta

Dissertation Abstract:

In this thesis, the assumption that pragmatic rules cannot be
Universal Grammar (UG) principles is challenged. The language data
presented here supports the poverty of stimulus argument and early
emergence in child language and shows that pragmatic/discourse
principles can be innate and part of UG. It is shown that while one
discourse principle, which controls the interpretation of definite
Noun Phrases (NPs) in one structure, is innate, a seemingly equivalent
rule controlling the interpretation of indefinite NPs in the same
structure is not.

By drawing a parallel from syntax, it is shown that a poverty of
stimulus argument exists for discourse. If a definite element seeks
reference in a discourse constituent, the meaning of that definite
element is constrained. Because of the lack of evidence in the
linguistic input of children that the definite element cannot refer to
any other element but one particular discourse-internal overt
constituent, the knowledge required to interpret that element must
be innate.

The interpretation of indefinite elements, however, is not innate. In
exactly the same discourse, but with an indefinite replacing the
definite element, the discourse structure is ambiguous and not
constrained. Therefore, children learning the interpretation of
indefiniteness do not encounter the need for negative evidence, and
thus, a poverty of stimulus argument does not exist for indefiniteness
in discourse.

The poverty of stimulus argument for definiteness in discourse, and
the unconstrained knowledge of the interpretation of indefiniteness in
discourse, is supported by empirical data. The truth value judgement
task and the picture selection task reveal that children and adults
both interpret indefiniteness ambiguous, be it to different
extents. The data from the experiments that tested adult and child
knowledge of definite elements in discourse, however, clearly support
the claim that definiteness is unambiguously interpreted and its
interpretation constrained. Thus, this thesis reveals two, mapping,
asymmetries between the acquisition of definiteness and indefiniteness
and between innate and learned discourse knowledge.