ryan cronister 1, shu sheng liao 1, shanju lin 1,2, & amanda j. owen van horne 1,2 1 dept of...

Ryan Cronister1, Shu Sheng Liao1, Shanju Lin1,2, & Amanda J. Owen Van Horne1,2

1Dept of Communication Sciences and Disorders, 2DeLTA CenterThe University of Iowa

Motion verbs and associated forms in English- and Mandarin-speaking children’s narratives

Participants

Element Example

Manner run, walk, jump, fly, roll

Path leave, exit, enter, through, over, under

Source & Goal The boy jumped from the tree /to the ground.

English MandarinAge 4 Age 6 Adults Age 4 Age 6 Adults

N 14 14 14 14 13 14

Age 4;7(4;0 – 4;11)

6;6(6;0 – 6;11)

31;1 (23;8-57;10)

4;7 (4;3 - 4;11)

6;4(6;0 – 6;10)

29;7(26;3 –34;6)

PPVT-3 (E) PPVT-R (M)

109.8(97 – 125)

115.6(91 - 130) - 109.27

(99 – 120)117.39

(95 – 142) -

KBIT-2 (E) TONI-3 (M)

106.0(92 - 130)

105.1(83 – 126) - 113.43

(100 – 137)109

(97 – 135) -

Motion events

One object spontaneously moves with respect to another object.

Talmy (1975, 1985)

General All Purpose (GAP) Verbs • Children use GAP verbs because they provide easy access to a variety of syntactic frames/a wide range

of lexical meanings. Rice & Bode (1993)

• GAP verbs are argued to represent less mature lexical knowledge. Rice & Bode (1993)

• However, GAP verb use does not differentiate SLI and TD children & does not reliably change with age. Thordardottir & Ellis Weismer (2001)

Predictions 1. If GAP verbs and frozen forms are associated with immature language use, then we

would expect to see increased use in younger children/associated with less information content.

2. If GAP verbs and frozen forms are associated with mature/strategic deployment of linguistic abilities, then we would expect to see increased use associated by older children/associated with more information content.

• Provide a developmentally appropriate, culturally accessible linguistic task

• Easy to quantify the amount of information included in responses

Frozen forms• Children memorize commonly combined lexical items and treat them as a single inflexible unit.

Pine & Lieven (1993)

• These units may be reanalyzed and replaced or may continue to be used in mature language users (or both). Rispoli, Hadley, & Holt (2009)

Linguistic Typology Talmy (1991), Slobin (2004)

Satellite-framed languages: English, German The girl RAN INTO the house

Equipollently-framed languages: Mandarin, Thai Nǔhéi PĂO JÌN CHÙ fángzi lǐ. ‘Girl run enter go house inside’. (Mandarin)

• Mandarin relies on serial verb constructions, many of which are frozen forms in early child language but

are more semantically complex than similar English constructions. Tardif (1996)

• Typological differences may allow us to better understand the relationship between improved linguistic

skills and reliance on GAP verbs and frozen forms as compensatory strategies.

Age 4 Age 6 Adult0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

GAPSpecific

Pro

po

rtio

n

Task 1: Video description

• Describe 24 motion event videos Example #

Elements Elements Structure

The ant was walking. 1 Manner M-Verb

小狗在滾 ‘ Dog PROG roll.’ 1 Manner M-Verb

He is driving to the swing. 2MannerGoal

M-Verb G-PP

小豬走路到城堡 ‘ Pig walk arrive castle.’ 2MannerGoal

M-Verb G-Verb

The turtle walked from a desk and over a bed.

3MannerSourcePath

M-VerbS-PPP-PP

長頸鹿開車從池塘穿過柵欄‘Giraffe drive from pond pass-through fence’ 3

MannerSourcePath

M-VerbS-PPP-Verb

Coding

Age 4 Age 6 Adult Age 4 Age 6 AdultEnglish Mandarin

0

1

2

3

4

Mea

n n

um

ber

of

el-

emen

ts


0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Manner

Pro

po

rtio

na

l m

en

tio

n


0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Path

Pro

po

rtio

na

l u

se


0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Goal

Pro

po

rtio

na

l u

se


0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Source

Pro

po

rtio

na

l u

se


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0.60

0.80

1.00

Manner VerbPath VerbGoal VerbSource Verb

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f el

emen

t

enco

ded

in

ver

bs

Information redundancy

GAP vs. Specific verbs: English

• This analysis was not carried out for the description task because only a limited set of verbs were elicited.• In future studies, information redundancy will be examined in cross-modal comparisons, e.g., spoken language and

gesture.

• Gesture complements spoken language, providing redundant information.• Gesture supplements spoken language, providing non-redundant information.• Does the gesture-speech relationship relate to individual differences?

Amount of information increases with age, and does not differ cross-linguistically.

English-speaking 6-year-olds produce manner less often than English speaking 4-year-olds and adults peers, perhaps due to increased reliance on GAP verbs. Information content did not decline – rather more path and goal information was included in prepositional phrases, suggesting that these children were communicating different types of information using different grammatical structures.

Mandarin speakers tended not to use path as much as expected typologically because the path verbs elicited by the videos don’t fit well into the early acquired serial verb constructions and they relied heavily on frozen forms even at Age 6.

Use of linguistic structures was typologically consistent.

Age: F(2,77)= 90.042, p< .001, Age 4 < Age 6 < Adult, all p < .0001Language: F(1, 77)= 1.610, p =.208 Language * Age: F(2,77)= .0.333, p= .718

Element: F(3, 231)= 68.029, p < .0001, Manner = Goal > Path > SourceAge: F(2,77)= 89.473, p= .721, Age 4 < Age 6 < Adult, all p < .0001Language: F(1,77)= 1.650, p = .203 Element*Language*Age: F(2,77)= 2.006, p = .141English vs. Mandarin Age 4: Path-- English > Mandarin, p= .043 Goal– English < Mandarin, p = .31 Manner, Source– English = Mandarin, p =.380 & p=937 Age 6: Manner– English < Mandarin, p= .017 Path– English < Mandarin, p < .001 Goal, Source– English = Mandarin, p= .153 & p = .114 Adult: All elements- English = Mandarin, all p > .05

Verb tyoe: F(1,39)= 45.528, p < .0001, Spec verbs > GAP Age: F(2,39)= 2.185, p = .126Verb type*Age: F(2,39)= 14.305, p < .0001 GAP: Age 4 < Age 6, Age 6 > Adult, all p < .05, Age 4 = Adult, p> .99 Specific: Age 4 > Age 6, Age 6 < Adult, all p < .05, Age 4 = Adult, p= .522

Language: F(1,35)=806.547, p <, .0001, English < MandarinElement *Language F(3, 105)= 52.315, p < .0001 Manner, Path, Goal: English < Mandarin, all p< .05 Source: English = Mandarin, p > .05Age: F(2,35)= 3.841, p= .031, Element*Age: F(2,35)= 0.805, p = .455Element*Language*Age: F(2,35)= 0.852, p= .435

Within English Manner: Age 4 > Age 6, p = .016 , Age 6 < Adult, p = .002, Age 4 = Adult, p > .05 Path: Age 4 < Age 6 < Adult, all p < .01 Goal: Age 4 < Age 6, Age 4 < Adult, all p < .05, Age 6 = Adult , p= .093 Source: Age 4 > Age 6 > Adult, all p < .05Within Mandarin Manner: Age 4 = Age 6 = Adult, all p > .05 Path: Age 4 < Adult, Age 6 < Adult, all p< .001, Age 4 = Age 6, p= .158, Goal: Age 4 < Adult, p= .009, Age 4 = Age 6, p =.066, Age 6 = Adult, p > .05 Source: Age 4 < Adult, Age 6 < Adult p< .0001, Age 4 = Age 6, p >.05

Amount of information Types of linguistic structures

Types of information

Results

Task 2: Narrative retells

2 narrative retells following SALT protocols (Miller, 2009)• The child participants only

• Similar coding as in the description task

• Adding Manner+Path verbs, e.g., climb, fall, sink

M (SD) English MandarinUtterances Measure Age 4 Age 6 Age 4 Age 6

All

N 63.3 (14.9) 75.1 (16.9) 61.93 (17.6) 73.92 (11.2)

MLUw 6.0 (0.8) 7.5 (1.1) 6.6 (0.8) 7.1 (1.2)

Types 121.8 (28.0) 154.6 (33.1) 119.79 (18.5) 161.23 (34.0)

Tokens 351.9 (120.0) 558.0 (169.7) 407.79 (120.1) 531.69 (136.4)

With verbs

N 54.9 (14.4) 70.4 (17.0) 58.21 (17.0) 70.38 (10.8)

MLUw 6.2 (0.7) 7.6 (1.1) 6.84 (0.8) 7.25 (1.2)

Types 42.7 (11.0) 60.4 (15.9) 46.29 (7.6) 63.07 (12.6)

Tokens 65.0 (20.5) 98.9 (29.4) 113.57 (37.6) 151.31 (32.8)

With motion verbs

N 12.4 (4.5) 16.1 (5.7) 15.71 (8.5) 19.38 (6.5)

MLUw 6.8 (1.4) 8.7 (1.8) 7.85 (1.3) 7.91 (1.4)

Types 9.1 (3.2) 11.1 (3.6) 11.79 (1.9) 15.77 (3.9)

Tokens 13.6 (5.6) 17.5 (6.2) 39.93 (17.3) 43.61 (15.5)

ResultsAmount of information Types of linguistic structures

GAP vs. Specific verbs: English

Age 4 Age 6 Age 4 Age 6English Mandarin

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

Mea

n N

um

ber

of

El-

emen

ts

Age 4 Age 60.00

0.20

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0.60

0.80

1.00

GAPSpecific

Pro

po

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n

Langauge: F(1, 51)= 2.646, p =..110 Age: F(1, 51)= 0.454, p= .504 Language * Age: F(1, 51)= .0.438, p= .511

Element: F(3, 153)= 186.62, p < .001 Manner > Path > Goal > Source, all p < .001Language: F(1,51)= 3.813, p = .056, English < Mandarin Age: F(1, 51)= 0.347, p= .558

Element*Language*Age: F(3, 153)= 2.323, p = .077

Within Mandarin All elements, Age 4 = Age 6, all p > .05

Information redundancy

Redundancy: F(3,153)= 29.4, p < .0001 No P > Redund P > NonRedund P > Both P, all p < .05Language: F(1,51)= 18.955, p < .0001, English < Mandarin

Redundancy*Language: F(3,153)= 5.723, p < .0001Language*Age: F(1,51)= 4.011, p = .051 Age 4: Redund P, NonRedund P, Both P, Eng < Mand (p= .008, p= .011, p= .031) No P: English = Mandarin, p= .073 Age 6: Redund P, English < Mandarin (p= .003) NonRedund P, Both P, No P, English = Mandarin (p= .857, p= .148, p= .293)

Age: F(1, 51)= 0.045, p= .832Redundancy*Age: F(3,153)= 1.586, p = .14Redundancy*Language*Age: F(3, 153)= 1.75, p = .159

Verb type: F(1, 26)= 63.469, p < .0001, Spec verbs > GAP Age: F(1,26)= 2.898, p = .101, Verb type*Age: F(1,26)= 0.017, p = .896

English vs. Mandarin Age 4: Manner– English < Mandarin, p= .003 Source– English > Mandarin, p = .02 Path, Goal– English = Mandarin, p =.436 & p=265 Age 6: Manner, Path– English < Mandarin, p= .001 & p = .03 Goal, Source– English > Mandarin, p= .036 & p = .007

Within English All elements, Age 4 = Age 6, p > .05

Language: F(1,24)=2149.048, p , .0001, English < MandarinElement *Language F(3, 72)= 808.71, p < .0001 Path, Goal: English < Mandarin, p< .05 Manner, Source: English = Mandarin, p > .05Age: F(1,24)= 0.765, p= .390Element*Age: F(3,72)= 0.797, p = .5Element*Language*Age: F(3, 72)= 0.8, p= .498

Amount of information is stable with age, and does not differ cross-linguistically.

This may be because the task allowed children to divide descriptions of motion events with high information content into multiple utterances with less information overall.


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Manner VerbPath VerbGoal VerbSource Verb

Pro

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f el

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t en

cod

ed i

n v

erb

s


0

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1Manner

Pro

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0

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1Path

Pro

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0

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1 Source

Pro

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1 Goal

Pro

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In spontaneous language, English speakers no longer show the dip in Manner production at Age 6.

At both ages, Source is more commonly produced by English speakers, while Manner is more commonly produced by Mandarin speakers.

At Age 4, English speakers were less likely than Mandarin speakers to include path information in any form (verb or PP).

At Age 6, Mandarin speakers were more likely to use redundant path information due to fixed use of verbs with path information in the serial verb constructions.


0.0

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1.0

M+P w/o PP

M+P w/ Nonredundant PP

M+P w/ Redundant PP

M+P w/ Both PPs

Pro

po

rtio

anl

Use

Use of linguistic structures was typologically consistent.

Types of information

Element Example

Manner + Path he fell; he climbed

Manner + Path w/ nonredundant PP

he fell into the water he climbed into the tree

Manner + Path w/ redundant PP

he fell downhe climbed up

Manner + Path w/ both

he fell down into the waterhe climbed up into the tree

Acknowledgements

Works Cited

Conclusions

We would thank Karla McGregor, Bob McMurray, Word Learning Lab and MACLab at the University of Iowa for help and comments on the experimental design and stimuli for the video elicitation task. We also thank Hintat Cheung, Lindsey Hansen, Allison Haskill, Elizabeth Lipton, Grantwood AEA, SungMei Prechool, FangRen Preschool, Gatelyn After School Program, for all the help with this project, and the members of Grammar Acquisition Lab at University of Iowa for assistance with data collection and transcription. Ling-Yu Guo and Li Sheng helped with Mandarin coding decisions. This project was funded by a Pre-doctoral Scholarship from Ministry of Education, Taiwan awarded to Shanju Lin, a University of Iowa Internal Funding Initiative awarded to Amanda J. Owen Van Horne, and ICRU Fellowships awarded to Shu-Sheng Liao and Ryan Cronister for completion of their undergraduate honors theses.

Contacts: [email protected]

Bybee, J. (2002). Phonological evidence for exemplar storage of multiword sequences. Studies of second language acquisition, 24, 215-221.Bybee, J., & Scheibman, J. (1999). The effect of usage on degree of constituency: The reduction of don’t in American English. Linguistics, 37, 575-596.Rice, M. L., & Bode, J. V. (1993). GAPS in the verb lexicons of children with specific language impairment. First Language, 13, 113-131.Rowland, C. F., & Theakston, A. L. (2009). The acquisition of auxiliary syntax: A longitudinal elicitation study. Part 2: The modals and auxiliary DO. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 52(6), 1471.Slobin, D. I. (2004). The many ways to search for a frog: Linguistic typology and the expression of motion events. In S. Strӧmqvist & L. Verhoeven (Eds.), Relating events in narrative: Typological and contextual perspectives (pp. 219-257). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.Talmy, L. (1975). Semantics and syntax of motion. In J. P. Kimball (Ed.), Syntax and semantics (Vol. IV, pp. 181-238). New York: Academic Press.Talmy, L. (1985). Lexicalization patterns: Semantic structure in lexical forms. In T. Shopen (Ed.), Language typology and syntactic description. Vol. III: Grammatical categories and the lexicon (pp. 57-149). New York: Cambridge University Press.Talmy, L., (1991). Path to realization: A typology of event conflation. Proceedings of the Berkeley Linguistics Society, 17, 480-519.Tardif, T. (1996). Nouns are not always learned before verbs: Evidence from Mandarin speakers’ early vocabularies. Developmental psychology, 32 (3), 492-504.Theakston, A.L., & Rowland, C.F. (2009). The acquisition of auxiliary syntax: A longitudinal elicitation study. Part 1: Auxiliary BE. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 52(6), 1449. Thordardottir, E. T., & Ellis Weismer, S. (2001). High-frequency verbs and verb diversity in the spontaneous speech of school-age children with specific language impairment. International Journal of Language Communication Disorders, 36, 221-244.

GAP verb use increased with age in English in elicited productions, but was more stable in spontaneous speech. • 4-year-olds tended to provide only a single element in elicited production AND in spontaneous speech. Most

often this was manner information alone.

• 6-year-olds tended to provide path and goal information together, but use a GAP verb.

• This shift may be a strategy that allows children to provide more information due to easier lexical retrieval. GAP verbs, while lexically empty, are more flexible in terms of the syntactic frames they rely on and may allow combinations with a wide range of prepositional phrases.

• Stable use in spontaneous speech may be because children have more control over how much information must be included in a given utterance, reducing the need to manipulate the verb/syntactic frame.

GAP verb use is not necessarily a result of immature linguistic patterns, but instead may be a strategic deployment of language resources.

Frozen serial verb combinations influenced the Mandarin speakers as late as Age 6. • Frozen forms have primarily been documented using morphological information (Theakston &

Rowland, 2009; Rowland & Theakston, 2009). • Our data suggest that languages that have frequent combinations of lexical items may also promote the

persistent use of these forms.

• Although frozen forms have been described as stepping stones in the learning process for very young children, there is evidence that these forms persist into adulthood (e.g., Bybee, 2002; Bybee & Scheibman, 1999) and may continue to be strategically deployed to reduce processing load.

• • The reliance by Mandarin speakers on frozen forms led to increased redundancy and altered the use of path

information, suggesting this negatively affected the information communicated.

• English speakers (who relied on more flexible forms) were less redundant and adult Mandarin speakers (who also were more flexible) were more capable of including Path information in the elicited production task.

Next steps to verify this hypothesis include: 1. elicitation of more common Path verbs from Mandarin speakers using the video elicitation task, which will

allow us to compare the task related influences to the effect of linguistic structure. 2. corpus analyses to verify that the Path verbs do indeed combine differently with other serial verbs in the

serial verb constructions in input to children.

Frozen forms may be used strategically by mature language users, but may also limit the way information is communicated resulting in more immature patterns of use.

Some patterns of language use observed in children are often described as immature. Such descriptions should depend on cross-linguistic and cross-task analyses before becoming commonly accepted because the developmental profile changes with task demands and typological differences. GAP verb use appears to be strategic and sophisticated while frozen forms may continue to limit information content.

mailto:[email protected]

ryan cronister 1, shu sheng liao 1, shanju lin 1,2, & amanda j. owen van horne 1,2 1 dept of...

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