Psychology

Use of pronouns: formal and functional aspects in the early phases of language development

Document Type

Article

Abstract

This article presents findings from empirical studies of the development of the use of pronouns in early child language. This presentation includes discussion of 1) when personal, reflexive, possessive, and indefinite pronominal forms appear in child-initiated contexts, 2) which errors emerge, and 3) which communicative functions utterances with pronouns have in dialogue. A first comparison of German-speaking and (American-)English-speaking children's usage is offered, focussing in particular on the use of the pronominal forms I/ich, you/du, and my/mein. This crosslinguistic comparison reveals differences in the age of first use, but simultaneously suggests similarities in functional characteristics of such usage. The findings are discussed in connection with the question of the development of children's communicative competence.

Publication Title

Zeitschrift für Psychologie mit Zeitschrift für angewandte Psychologie

Publication Date

1-1-1992

Volume

200

Issue

1

First Page

61

Last Page

77

ISSN

0044-3409

Keywords

cross-cultural comparison, language, language development, semantics

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