Cover not available
Part of
Nominal Compound Acquisition
Edited by Wolfgang U. Dressler, F. Nihan Ketrez and Marianne Kilani-Schoch
[Language Acquisition and Language Disorders 61] 2017
► pp. 119–143

Chapter 5
Compounding in early Greek language acquisition

| | | University of Cologne | Democritus University of Thrace
| |
The early acquisition of Greek compounds by two monolingual Greek girls aged between 1;8 and 3;0 years is studied in a usage-based framework. Special importance is attached to the morphological structure of Greek compound types occurring in CS and CDS, since Greek nominal compound formation does not just consist in the juxtaposition of words or roots. Major questions addressed are evidence for the transparency of compounds and productive nominal compound formation. Evidence for productivity of nominal compound formation was only found with one of the two girls and was rather limited. In contrast to other languages, neoclassical nominal compounds by far exceed endocentric subordinative ones tokenwise in Greek CS and CDS providing evidence of entrenchment rather than productivity.
Keywords: compounding, Greek language acquisition, Greek child speech, Greek child-directed speech
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Compounding in Standard Modern Greek
  • 3.Data
  • 4.Compounding in early Greek child speech and child-directed speech
    • 4.1The development of nominal compounds in Anna’s CS and CDS
      • 4.1.1Categories of compounds in Anna’s CS and CDS
      • 4.1.2Endocentric subordinative compound nouns in Anna’s CS and CDS
      • 4.1.3Neoclassical compounds
      • 4.1.4Minor classes of nominal compounds
      • 4.1.5Verbal and adjectival compounds
      • 4.1.6The development of compounding patterns in Anna’s speech
    • 4.2Compounds in Mairi’s CS and CDS
  • 5.Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 19 December 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.61.06ste
References (39)
References
Anastasiadis-Symeonidis, A.. 1986. I neologia stin Koini Neo-Elliniki (Neology in Standard Modern Greek). PhD Dissertation, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.Google Scholar
Bauer, L.. 2008. Exocentric compounds. Morphology 18: 51–74.  DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Berman, R. A. 2009. Children’s acquisition of compound constructions. In The Oxford Handbook of Compounding, R. Lieber & P. Štekauer (eds), 298–322. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Booij, G.. 2010a. Construction morphology. Language and Linguistics Compass 4(7): 543–555.  DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2010b. Construction morphology. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
. 2013. Morphology in construction grammar. In The Oxford Handbook of Construction Grammar, T. Hoffmann & G. Trousdale (eds), 255–273. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Bybee, J.. 1985. Morphology: A Study of the Relation between Meaning and Form [Typological Studies in Language 9]. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.  DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2003. Phonology and Language Use. Cambridge: CUP.Google Scholar
. 2007. The emergent lexicon. In Frequency of Use and the Organization of Language, J. Bybee (ed.), 279–293. Oxford: OUP (reprinted from CLS 34 (1998): The panels, 421–435. Chicago IL: Chicago Linguistic Society). DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2008. Usage-based grammar and second language acquisition. In Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition, P. Robinson & N. C. Ellis (eds), 216–236. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Christofidou, A., Afentoulidou, V., Karasimos, A. & Dimitropoulou, I.. 2013. Ilektroniko programma neologismon kai orologias NeoDEMIA: Prokliseis kai dhiktio-liseis (The electronic programme for neologisms and terminology NeoDEMIA: Challenges and internet solutions). In Dimiourgia kai morfi sti glossa. Deltio Epistimonikis Orologias kai Neologismon (Creation and Form in Language. Reports on Scientific Terminology and Neologisms), Vol. 12, A. Christofidou (ed.), 198–243. Athens: Academy of Athens.Google Scholar
Clark, E. V. 1993[2009]. The Lexicon in Acquisition, 2nd edn. Cambridge: CUP.  DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2009. Lexical meaning. In The Cambridge Handbook of Child Language, E. L. Bavin (ed.), 283–299. Cambridge: CUP.  DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dalalakis, J. E. 1999. Morphological representation in specific language impairment: Evidence from Greek. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica 51: 20–35.  DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Diessel, H.. 2013. Construction grammar and first language acquisition. In The Oxford Handbook of Construction Grammar, T. Hoffmann & G. Trousdale (eds), 347–364. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Dressler, W. U. 2005. Towards a natural morphology of compounding. Linguistics 45: 29–39.Google Scholar
. 2006. Compound types. In The Representation and Processing of Compound Words, G. Libben & G. Jarema (eds), 23–44. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Dressler, W. U., Lettner, L. E. & Korecky-Kröll, K.. 2012. Acquisition of German diminutive formation and compounding in a comparative perspective: Evidence for typology and the role of frequency. In Current Issues in Morphological Theory: (Ir)Regularity, Analogy and Frequency. Selected Papers from the 14th International Morphology Meeting, Budapest, 13–16 May, 2010 [Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 322], F. Kiefer, M. Ladányi & P. Síptar (eds), 237–264. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.  DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, A. E. 2013. Constructionist approaches. In The Oxford Handbook of Construction Grammar, T. Hoffmann & G. Trousdale (eds), 15–31. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Jarema, G.. 2006. Compound representation and processing: A cross-language perspective. In The Representation and Processing of Compound Words, G. Libben & G. Jarema (eds), 45–70. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Kehayia, E., Jarema, G., Tsapkini, K., Perlak, D., Ralli, A. & Kadzielawa, D.. 1999. The role of morphological structure in the processing of compounds: The interface between linguistics and psycholinguistics. Brain and Language 68: 370–377.  DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kitsou, I.. 2009. I sinthesi sti nea elliniki: Mia proti prosegisi me erevna se foitites tis neas ellinikis pou didaskontai ti nea elliniki os kseni glosa (Compounding in Modern Greek: A First Attempt at Studying Students of Modern Greek as a Foreign Language). MA thesis, Department of Linguistics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.Google Scholar
Koliopoulou, M.. 2013. Themata synthesis tis ellinikis kai tis germanikis: sygritiki proseggisi (Aspects of compounding in Greek and German: A comparative approach). PhD dissertation, University of Patras. <[URL]> Google Scholar
Libben, G.. 1998. Semantic transparency in the processing of compounds: Consequences for representation, processing and impairment. Brain and Language 61: 30–44.  DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Matthews, P. H. 1997. Oxford Concise Dictionary of Linguistics. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Ralli, A.. 2013. Compounding in Modern Greek. Dordrecht: Springer.  DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Rousoulioti, T. B. 2009. Mi aples leksikes monades kai ekmathisi tis neas ellinikis os defteris/ksenis glossas: I periptosi ton sintheton leksikon monadon (Complex Lexical Items and Learning of Modern Greek as a Second/foreign Language: The Case of Compound Words). PhD dissertation, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.Google Scholar
Seiler, H.. 1975. Die Prinzipien der deskriptiven und der etikettierenden Benennung (The principles of naming by description and labeling). In Linguistic Workshop III: Arbeiten des Kölner Universalienprojekts 1974 [Structura 9], H. Seiler (ed.), 2–57. München: Fink Verlag.Google Scholar
Stephany, U.. 1980. Zur psychischen Realität der Dimension der Deskriptivität (On the psychological reality of descriptivity). In Wege zur Universalienforschung: Sprachwissenschaftliche Beiträge zum 60. Geburtstag von Hansjakob Seiler (Perspectives of research in language universals: Linguistic contributions on the occasion of the 60th birthday of Hansjakob Seiler) [Tübinger Beiträge zur Linguistik 145], G. Brettschneider & C. Lehmann (eds), 549–555. Tübingen: Gunter Narr.Google Scholar
. 1985. Aspekt, Tempus und Modalität: Zur Entwicklung der Verbalgrammatik in der neugriechischen Kindersprache (Aspect, Tense and Modality: On the Development of Verbal Grammar in Modern Greek Child Language) [Language Universals Series 4]. Tübingen: Gunter Narr.Google Scholar
. 1997a. The acquisition of Greek. In The Crosslinguistic Study of Language Acquisition, Vol. 4, D. I. Slobin (ed.), 183–333. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
. 1997b. Diminutives in early child Greek, a preliminary investigation. In Studies in Pre- and Protomorphology [Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Linguistik und Kommunikationsforschung Nr. 26], W. U. Dressler (ed.), 147–156. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.Google Scholar
. 2015. Adjectives in early Greek language acquisition. In Semantics and Morphology of Early Adjectives in First Language Acquisition, E. Tribushinina, M. D. Voeikova & S. Noccetti (eds), 347–394. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars.Google Scholar
Stephany, U. & Thomadaki, E.. 2016. Compounds in Early Greek First Language Acquisition – Including an Onomasiological Approach to Lexical Typology of Greek and German [Arbeitspapier Nr. 60 (Neue Folge)]. Köln: Institut für Linguistik, Universität zu Köln. <[URL]> Google Scholar
Thomadaki, E.. 1986. Wortbildungsstrategien und Mutterspracherwerb (Strategies of word formation and first language acquisition). Ms, Institut für Sprachwissenschaft, University of Cologne.
. 1988. Neugriechische Wortbildung (Modern Greek word formation) [Arbeitspapier Nr. 8 (Neue Folge)]. Köln: Institut für Linguistik, Universität zu Köln. <[URL]> Google Scholar
Thomadaki, E. & Stephany, U.. 2007. Diminutives in Greek child language. In The Acquisition of Diminutives: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective [Language Acquisition and Language Disorders 43], I. Savickienė & W. U. Dressler (eds), 89–123. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.  DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tomasello, M.. 2009. The usage-based theory of language acquisition. In The Cambridge Handbook of Child Language, E. L. Bavin (ed.), 69–87. Cambridge: CUP.  DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tzakosta, M.. 2009. Perceptual ambiguities in the formation of Greek compounds by native speakers. In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Greek Linguistics, Aug 30th–Sept 2nd, 2007, Ioannina, Greece, M. Baltazani, G. K. Giannakis, T. Tsangalidis & G. J. Xydopoulos (eds), 545–557. University of Ioannina (cd-rom).
Cited by (2)

Cited by two other publications

Dressler, Wolfgang U., Veronika Mattes & Laila Kjærbæk
2021. Chapter 1. Introduction. In The Acquisition of Derivational Morphology [Language Acquisition and Language Disorders, 66], ► pp. 2 ff. DOI logo
Stephany, Ursula
2021. Chapter 2. The development of derivation in early Greek first language acquisition. In The Acquisition of Derivational Morphology [Language Acquisition and Language Disorders, 66], ► pp. 22 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 27 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.