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Social Environment and Cognition in Language Development: Studies in honor of Ayhan Aksu-Koç
Edited by F. Nihan Ketrez, Aylin C. Küntay, Şeyda Özçalışkan and Aslı Özyürek
[Trends in Language Acquisition Research 21] 2017
► pp. 3–18

Chapter 1
Social motivations for linguistic exploration

A diary study

 | University of California, Berkeley
The language-learning child is challenged to determine why there are alternate ways of expressing content, performing speech acts, and directing attention to inner states. Acquisition of syntax is driven by social cognition and by attention to linguistic constructions. This chapter presents an in-depth case study of one English-speaking 3-year-old, focusing on modals, conditionals, hypotheticals, and causal and temporal expressions. Underlying the acquisition of these forms is a concern with normativity – regularities in the social world and the child’s position in that world. Without the linguistic forms, it would be difficult for the child to focus on these issues; without an ability to cognize social interaction, the forms would remain opaque. The co-acquisition of form and function is a dialectical process.
Keywords: acquisition of English, modal auxiliaries, conditionals, hypotheticals, temporality, speech acts, normativity
Article outline
  • 1.A diary study
  • 2.Who or what is acquiring language?
  • 3.What is being acquired?
  • 4.Theme: Possible worlds
    • 4.1Forms: Modal auxiliaries
      • 4.1.1Functions: Seeking and modulating permission
      • 4.1.2Functions: Express optative situation
    • 4.2Forms: Conditionals
    • 4.3Forms: Comparatives
    • 4.4Forms: Dialogue
  • 5.Theme: Patterns of adult activity
    • 5.1Forms: Why-questions
  • 6.Theme: Seeking general principles
    • 6.1Forms: Generic statements
    • 6.2Forms: Diverse mini-narratives
  • 7.Theme: The nature of time
    • 7.1Forms: Time units
    • 7.2Forms: Event sequencing
    • 7.3Forms: Retrospective reference
  • 8.Theme: The self in the social world
  • 9.Overarching theme: Seeking to understand normativity
  • 10.Conclusion: Motivations for linguistic complexity
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 18 July 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tilar.21.01slo
References (18)
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