Cross-linguistic patterns in the acquisition of quantifiers Cross-linguistic Constraints in the Order of Acquisition of Quantifiers

Napoleon Katsos, Chris Cummins, Maria-José Ezeizabarrena, Anna Gavarró, Jelena Kuvač Kraljević, Gordana Hrzica, Kleanthes K Grohmann, Athina Skordi, Kristine Jensen De López, Lone Sundahl, Angeliek Van Hout, Bart Hollebrandse, Jessica Overweg, Myrthe Faber, Margreet Van Koert, Nafsika Smith, Maigi Vija, Sirli Zupping, Sari Kunnari, Tiffany MorisseauManana Rusieshvili, Kazuko Yatsushiro, Anja Fengler, Spyridoula Varlokosta, Katerina Konstantzou, Shira Farby, Maria Teresa Guasti, Mirta Vernice, Reiko Okabe, Miwa Isobe, Peter Crosthwaite, Yoonjee Hong, Ingrida Balčiūnienė, Yanti Marina, Ahmad Nizar, Helen Grech, Daniela Gatt, Win Nee Cheong, Arve Asbjørnsen, Janne Von, Koss Torkildsen, Ewa Haman, Aneta Miękisz, Natalia Gagarina, Julia Puzanova, Darinka Anđelković, Maja Savić, Smiljana Jošić, Daniela Slančová, Svetlana Kapalková, Tania Barberán, Duygu Özge, Saima Hassan, Yuet Hung Chan, Tomoya Okubo, Heather Van Der Lely, Uli Sauerland, Ira Noveck

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

Abstract

Learners of most languages are faced with the task of acquiring words to talk about number and quantity. Much is known about the order of acquisition of number words and the cognitive and perceptual systems and cultural practices that shape it. Substantially less is known about the acquisition of quantifiers. Here we consider systems and practices that support number word acquisition in order to determine that their relevance to quantifiers is limited. Instead, we propose that a major constraint in the acquisition of quantifiers comes from their rich and varied meaning. We investigate competence with the expressions for 'all', 'none', 'some', 'some…not' and 'most' in 31 languages, representing 11 language types, by testing 768 5-year-old children and 536 adults. The findings reveal four dimensions of the meaning and use of quantifiers that constrain the order of acquisition in similar ways across languages in our sample. In addition, exploratory analyses reveal that language-and learner-specific factors, such as negative concord and gender, are significant predictors of variation. Significance Statement: Much is known about the order of acquisition of number words, but relatively little about the order of acquisition of other quantity expressions. We propose that the order of acquisition of quantifiers is largely a consequence of the nature of their meaning. Four dimensions of the meaning and use of quantifiers are found to constrain the order of acquisition in similar ways in 31 languages, representing 11 language types.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9244-9249
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume113
Issue number33
Publication statusPublished - 2014
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Cross-linguistic patterns in the acquisition of quantifiers Cross-linguistic Constraints in the Order of Acquisition of Quantifiers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this