The Acquisition of Sesotho Double Object Constructions
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Abstract
The mechanisms underlying the acquisition of verb argument structure, including the restrictions on postverbal word order in Double Object constructions, has long been a topic of debate. Part of the controversy regarding how these constructions are learned concerns the potential role of construction effects (e.g., Tomasello 1992). The acquisition of Double Object applicative constructions in the Bantu language Sesotho, where postverbal word order is the same for all verbs, but varies depending on the animacy of the objects, provides a an ideal test case for shedding light on this debate. This study examines children's knowledge of Sesotho word order constraints on Double Object applicative constructions in a forced choice elicited production task. It finds lexical construction effects for four- to twelve-year-olds, but not for adults. The implications of these findings, both for learning the argument structure of verbs, and for language acquisition in general, are discussed.
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