Satterfield Bilingual Selection of Syntactic Knowledge

Extending the Principles and Parameters Approach
Erscheinungsjahr 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4615-5259-8
Verlag: Springer US
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 167 Seiten, eBook

Bilingual Selection of Syntactic Knowledge motivates a more formal approach in theoretical linguistics by investigating the parameters of syntactic variation and simultaneous acquisition of multiple languages. Taking the behavior of the Null Subject Parameter (NSP) across languages as an illustration, the book raises important questions concerning the adequacy of standard parameter-setting models in the face of compelling evidence from both mono- and bilingual child speech data. Teresa Satterfield argues convincingly that so-called `universal' premises guiding well-known parametric approaches greatly complicate attempts to construct an economical bilingual analysis. Further, she demonstrates the compatibility of more recent formulations in linguistic theory (i.e. the Minimalist Program) and studies on language learnability (Clark, 1992, 1993; Kapur, 1994) which present the view that while initially convincing, standard parameter models are potentially costly and less than effective in terms of monolinguals as well. Using Clark's application of the Genetic Algorithm as a point of departure, Bilingual Selection of Syntactic Knowledge describes a number of computational simulations. These simulations not only demonstrate the robustness of the GA-as-language-learner, they offer a more detailed account of the parameter-setting task confronting the bilingual child while also making more precise predictions regarding the process of syntactic knowledge.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Satterfield, Teresa

Inhaltsverzeichnis

One: Introduction.- 1.1 Principles and Parameters Theory (P&P).- 1.2 Learnability Models.- 1.3 Genetic Algorithms.- Two: Background for Research.- 2.1 Linguistic Theory and Language Acquisition.- 2.2 Learnability Theory.- 2.3 Approaches to Parameter Fixation: Learning Theories.- 2.4 Implications for Bilingual Acquisition.- 2.5 Implications for Monolingual Acquisition.- 2.6 Conclusion.- Three: Genetic Algorithms and Language Learning Models.- 3.1 Overview of a Simple Genetic Algorithm.- 3.2 Language Learnability and Genetic Algorithms.- 3.3 Genetic Algorithm Implemented in Language Learning.- 3.4 Learnability Properties and Parameter-Setting Models.- 3.5 The Design Problem.- 3.6 Toward a Model of Bilingual Parameterization.- 3.7 Generalizing the Model: The Extended Parameterization Hypothesis.- 3.8 Conclusion.- Four: Analysis of Null Subjects.- 4.1 Properties of the Null Subject Parameter.- 4.2 Linguistic Theory and Null Subjects.- 4.3 The Minimalist Program.- 4.4 Arguments Against the Current MP Analysis.- 4.5 Toward an Alternative Analysis of Null Subjects.- 4.6 Further Consequences.- 4.7 Summary.- 4.8 Conclusion.- Five: Demonstrations.- 5.1 A Bilingual Model.- 5.2 Representation of Null Subjects in Bilingual Acquisition.- 5.3 Implementation and Organization Details.- 5.4 The Learning Task.- 5.5 Conclusion.- Six: Discussion and Conclusions.- 6.1 Evaluation of the Bilingual Model.- 6.2 Motivations for Research.- 6.3 Extensions and Future Work.- Appendix: Bilingual Model Code.