The Production of Complement Taking Verbs Across Complement Clause Types By Typically Developing Preschool Children

Abstract

Data from elicited language tasks can add to the literature on the development of the complex syntax structures of embedded complement clauses in typically developing children. In the current study, preschool-age children (n = 27) participated in two elicited language tasks focusing on three types of embedded complement clauses: Infinitival Complement clauses in Task 1 and Sentential Complement clauses in Task 2. Each task included the same 6 verbs, which were categorized as mental state or communication verbs and high and low frequency verbs. Participants were in one of three age groups (Two-Year-Olds: 2;10 to 3;0; Three-Year-Olds: 3;8 to 3;10; Four-Year-Olds: 4;6 to 4;8). Of interest were participant proportion of responses with target verb and target structure in each task, as well as proportion of complex syntax responses for each target verb by task, in order to examine development across age groups. Productivity with each verb was additionally of interest across group and task. Productivity was examined in relation to the selected verbs by verb category (mental state or communication verb) and verb frequency (high or low).