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A CROSS‐SECTIONAL STUDY OF MORPHEME ACQUISITION IN FIRST LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Author(s) -
Porter John H.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
language learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.882
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1467-9922
pISSN - 0023-8333
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-1770.1977.tb00291.x
Subject(s) - morpheme , syntax , psychology , linguistics , language acquisition , developmental linguistics , second language acquisition , comprehension approach , language education , mathematics education , philosophy
Speech samples were elicited by means of the Bilingual Syntax Measure from eleven children aged 27–48 months covering a wide span of linguistic development. The presence or absence of eleven functors was scored in obligatory occasions and an acquisition sequence was determined using three different methods of speech analysis. Although all three methods yielded a strong intercorrelation among themselves, no correlation was obtained when these three methods were compared with two previously determined orders of acquisition based on first and second language research. It was concluded that the previous order of morpheme acquisition obtained through research on L2 learners was probably an artifact of the Bilingual Syntax Measure testing situation. It was suggested that the sequence of morpheme acquisition as determined by the Bilingual Syntax Measure be subjected to a more rigorous validation with the sequence observed in spontaneous production of first and second language learners.