Acquisition of Word Order in the Adjective-Added Korean Classifier Phrases

This study explores the acquisition of internal orderings of adjective-added Korean classifier phrases. When a classifier phrase includes an adjective, two constraints rule out impossible orderings: adjectives occur before the noun they modify, and no modifying elements can intervene between the number and the classifier. An acceptability judgment experiment was conducted with native Korean-speaking adults and children to test their knowledge of the two constraints. The results indicate that, like adults, the children know the two constraints, disallowing impossible orderings. The results also show a ranking in the preference of the possible orderings. We suggest that semantic compositionality (i.e., A and N together) can account for the preferred internal orderings of Korean adjective-added classifier phrases.