TY - JOUR
T1 - Null subjects
T2 - A problem for parameter-setting models of language acquisition
AU - Valian, Virginia
N1 - Funding Information:
*I gratefully acknowledget he support of the Henry R. Lute Foundation, Wellesley College, and the University of Rochester, during the initial phases of this work. Preparation of this marmscript was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD-24369). My warm thanks go to A. Cutler, J.J. Katz, S. Pinker, and two anonymous readers. Requests for reprints should be sent to Virginia Valian, Department of Psychology, Hunter College, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021, U.S.A.
PY - 1990/5
Y1 - 1990/5
N2 - Some languages, like English, require overt surface subjects, while others, like Italian and Spanish, allow "null" subjects. How does the young child determine whether or not her language allows null subjects? Modern parameter-setting theory has proposed a solution, in which the child begins acquisition with the null subject parameter set for either the English-like value or the Italian-like value. Incoming data, or the absence thereof, force a resetting of the parameter if the original value was incorrect. This paper argues that the single-value solution cannot work, no matter which value is chosen as the initial one, because of inherent limitations in the child's parser, and because of the presence of misleading input. An alternative dual-value solution is proposed, in which the child begins acquisition with both values available, and uses theory-confirmation procedures to decide which value is best supported by the available data.
AB - Some languages, like English, require overt surface subjects, while others, like Italian and Spanish, allow "null" subjects. How does the young child determine whether or not her language allows null subjects? Modern parameter-setting theory has proposed a solution, in which the child begins acquisition with the null subject parameter set for either the English-like value or the Italian-like value. Incoming data, or the absence thereof, force a resetting of the parameter if the original value was incorrect. This paper argues that the single-value solution cannot work, no matter which value is chosen as the initial one, because of inherent limitations in the child's parser, and because of the presence of misleading input. An alternative dual-value solution is proposed, in which the child begins acquisition with both values available, and uses theory-confirmation procedures to decide which value is best supported by the available data.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0025424611&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/0010-0277(90)90011-8
DO - 10.1016/0010-0277(90)90011-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 2354609
AN - SCOPUS:0025424611
SN - 0010-0277
VL - 35
SP - 105
EP - 122
JO - Cognition
JF - Cognition
IS - 2
ER -