Number Dissimilarity Effects in Object-Initial Sentence Comprehension by German-Speaking Children with Specific Language Impairment

Autor/inn/en	Stegenwallner-Schütz, Maja; Adani, Flavia
Titel	Number Dissimilarity Effects in Object-Initial Sentence Comprehension by German-Speaking Children with Specific Language Impairment
Quelle	In: Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 64 (2021) 3, S.870-888 (19 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Stegenwallner-Schütz, Maja) ORCID (Adani, Flavia)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1092-4388
Schlagwörter	German; Language Impairments; Sentence Structure; Morphology (Languages); Comparative Analysis; Accuracy; Prediction; Phrase Structure; Listening Comprehension; Language Processing; Grammar; Matched Groups; Nouns; Verbs; Individual Differences; Syntax; Preschool Children; Foreign Countries; Task Analysis; Pictorial Stimuli; Language Acquisition; Germany + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Deutscher; Speech disorder; Speech disorders; Speech disabilities; Speech disability; Speech handicap; Speech handicaps; Speech impairment; Speech impairments; Language handicaps; Sprachbehinderung; Satzbau; Satzstruktur; Morphology; Morphologie; Vorhersage; Phrasenstruktur; Hörverständnis; Sprachverarbeitung; Grammatik; Individueller Unterschied; Pre-school age; Preschool age; Child; Children; Pre-school education; Preschool education; Vorschulalter; Kind; Kinder; Vorschulkind; Vorschulkinder; Vorschulerziehung; Vorschule; Ausland; Aufgabenanalyse; Fantasieanregung; Sprachaneignung; Spracherwerb; Deutschland
Abstract	Purpose: This study examines the contribution of number morphology to language comprehension abilities among children with specific language impairment (SLI) and age-matched controls. It addresses the question of whether number agreement facilitates the comprehension accuracy of object-initial declarative sentences. According to the predictions of the structural intervention account for German, number agreement should assist the correct interpretation of object-initial sentences. Method: This study examines German-speaking children with SLI and a control group of age-matched typically developing children on their sentence comprehension skills for auditory presented subject--verb--object and object--verb--subject (OVS) sentences. The sentences were manipulated with respect to the number properties of the noun phrases (e.g., one plural and one singular, or both singular) and the number agreement of the verb. Results: The group of children with SLI demonstrated poorer comprehension accuracy in comparison to controls. Comprehension difficulty was limited to OVS sentences among children with SLI. In addition, children with SLI comprehended OVS sentences in which number agreement (with plural subject and verb inflection) indicated the noncanonical word order more accurately than OVS sentences with two singular noun phrases and therein did not differ from controls. Conclusion: The study suggests that number agreement helps alleviate the difficulty with OVS sentences and enhances comprehension accuracy, despite the finding that children with SLI exhibit lower comprehension accuracy and more heterogeneous interindividual differences, relative to controls. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01