The acquisition of ergative marking in Kaluli, Ku Waru and Duna (Trans New Guinea)
Date
2013
Authors
Rumsey, Alan
San Roque, Lila
Schieffelin, Bambi B
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John Benjamins Publishing Company
Abstract
In this chapter we present material on the acquisition of ergative marking on noun phrases in three languages of Papua New Guinea: Kaluli, Ku Waru, and Duna. The expression of ergativity in all the languages is broadly similar, but sensitive to language-specific features, and this pattern of similarity and difference is reflected in the available acquisition data. Children acquire adult-like ergative marking at about the same pace, reaching similar levels of mastery by 3;00 despite considerable differences in morphological complexity of ergative marking among the languages. What may be more important � as a factor in accounting for the relative uniformity of acquisition in this respect � are the similarities in patterns of interactional scaffolding that emerge from a comparison of the three cases.
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Book chapter
Book Title
The Acquisition of Ergativity
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2037-12-31
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