Full metadata record
| DC Field | Value | Language |
|---|---|---|
| dc.contributor | Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies | en_US |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Lau, Kai Yan Dustin (CBS) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Leung, Man Tak (CBS) | en_US |
| dc.creator | Tang, Po Yi | - |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/13405 | - |
| dc.language | English | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Hong Kong Polytechnic University | en_US |
| dc.rights | All rights reserved | en_US |
| dc.title | Interface in the acquisition of language form and content by Mandarin-speaking children | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | Children with language disorders experience significant functional impairment in their daily lives, underscoring the importance of appropriate intervention to minimize the negative impacts. Their language disruptions can manifest across different language domains, resulting in a heterogeneity among children with language disorders. Thoroughly examining various language domains is crucial to comprehensively understand their language profiles, such that their diverse needs can be addressed accordingly. This thesis adopts the content-form framework to investigate the language profiles of Mandarin-speaking children, both with and without language disorders, focusing on the domains of content and form. It also aims to gain insights into potential disruptions in expressing semantic content categories, as well as the content-form interface. By utilizing this framework, traditional language measures are supplemented, providing comprehensive language profiling and guiding intervention directions for children with language disorders. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | To document the language productions in the domains of both content and form in Mandarin-speaking children, the Corpus of Mandarin Child Language (CMCL) was established in study one. Naturalistic language samples were collected from 82 native Mandarin-speaking children aged 25 to 60 months. Semantic content categories expressed in each utterance were tagged, along with the annotations on parts-of-speech, to investigate the acquisition trajectory of various semantic content categories. The strong correlations between age and traditional language measures such as mean length of utterance and lexical diversity, are aligned with the literature, validating the CMCL. Additionally, the acquisition trajectory of semantic content categories and the way it is influenced by factors of syntactic and cognitive complexity were examined. As a pilot test, the interaction between content and form in the acquisition process was also explored by observing children’s expressions of different semantic content categories using specific form (verb), and different forms expressing a particular semantic content category (dative) from the CMCL. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | In study two, a particular semantic content category - temporal - was selected for more detailed investigation on the content-form interface in child language acquisition. To explore how Mandarin-speaking children acquire different forms to express the same content, the acquisition between three different temporal-marker groups, namely aspect markers (AMs), temporal adverbs (TAs) and temporal nouns (TNs), by Mandarin-speaking children were examined. Results indicated that various time concepts regulated the acquisition trend among the three different temporal markers, influencing the semantic representations of time and the acquisition of different temporal-marker groups. Next, to examine how Mandarin-speaking children’s acquisition of lexical forms is affected by content, the acquisition within each temporal-marker group was also examined. Results indicated that the acquisition of different lexical items within each group also appeared to be affected by the semantic features of temporal remoteness and specificity, with more remote and specific items acquired later. These findings highlight the interaction of content and form in modulating the acquisition of temporal markers in Mandarin. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | To illustrate the content-form interface idea in language disorder, case studies were conducted on two Mandarin-speaking children with language difficulties (LD) in study three, comparing their language samples with those of typically developing children (TD) from study one. LD children demonstrated shorter mean length of utterance and lower lexical diversity than their TD peers, confirming their language difficulties. Disruptions in expressing certain semantic content categories, which might manifest through the content-form interface, were also observed. Examining semantic content category and its content-form interface thus enriches the language profile of children with language disorders, and allows the identification of subtle disruptions that may not be easily captured through traditional measures alone. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | Overall, these findings enhance our understanding of the language profiles of Mandarin-speaking children with and without language disorders, particularly from a semantic perspective, as well as the content-form interface. Empirically, they contribute experimental data on the acquisition of semantic content categories in Mandarin-speaking children. The CMCL also provides a platform for examining the content domains and the content-form interface in early child language acquisition. Theoretically, the bidirectional interaction between language-general content and the language-specific form is suggested, with the content-form interface regulating the language acquisition of young children. Clinically, intervention direction for children with language disorders is informed by a thorough consideration of the content and form domains, as well as the content-form interface. | en_US |
| dcterms.extent | xii, 166 pages : color illustrations | en_US |
| dcterms.isPartOf | PolyU Electronic Theses | en_US |
| dcterms.issued | 2024 | en_US |
| dcterms.educationalLevel | Ph.D. | en_US |
| dcterms.educationalLevel | All Doctorate | en_US |
| dcterms.LCSH | Language acquisition | en_US |
| dcterms.LCSH | Chinese language -- Acquisition | en_US |
| dcterms.LCSH | Children -- China -- Language | en_US |
| dcterms.LCSH | Mandarin dialects | en_US |
| dcterms.LCSH | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations | en_US |
| dcterms.accessRights | open access | en_US |
Copyright Undertaking
As a bona fide Library user, I declare that:
- I will abide by the rules and legal ordinances governing copyright regarding the use of the Database.
- I will use the Database for the purpose of my research or private study only and not for circulation or further reproduction or any other purpose.
- I agree to indemnify and hold the University harmless from and against any loss, damage, cost, liability or expenses arising from copyright infringement or unauthorized usage.
By downloading any item(s) listed above, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the copyright undertaking as stated above, and agree to be bound by all of its terms.
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/13405