| Title: |
Referential Transparency of Verbs in Child-Directed Input by Japanese and American Caregivers |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Allison Fitch (ORCID 0000-0002-7634-3419); Amy M. Lieberman; Michael C. Frank (ORCID 0000-0002-7551-4378); Jessica Brough; Matthew Valleau; Sudha Arunachalam |
| Source: |
Journal of Child Language. 2025 52(6):1367-1382. |
| Availability: |
Cambridge University Press. 100 Brook Hill Drive, West Nyack, NY 10994. Tel: 800-872-7423; Tel: 845-353-7500; Fax: 845-353-4141; e-mail: subscriptions_newyork@cambridge.org; Web site: https://www.cambridge.org/core/what-we-publish/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
16 |
| Publication Date: |
2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: |
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: |
T32DC013017 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: |
Foreign Countries; Child Language; Linguistic Input; Verbs; Child Caregivers; Caregiver Child Relationship; Interpersonal Communication; Language Acquisition; Japanese; English; Language Usage; Play; Infants; Cross Cultural Studies; Cultural Differences |
| Geographic Terms: |
Japan; United States |
| DOI: |
10.1017/S0305000924000382 |
| ISSN: |
0305-0009; 1469-7602 |
| Abstract: |
Children acquiring Japanese differ from those acquiring English with regard to the rate at which verbs are learned (Fernald & Morikawa, 1993). One possible explanation is that Japanese caregivers use verbs in referentially transparent contexts, which facilitate the form-meaning link. We examined this hypothesis by assessing differences in verb usage by Japanese and American caregivers during dyadic play with their infants (5-22 months). We annotated verb-containing utterances for elements associated with referential transparency and compared across groups. Contrary to our hypotheses, we found that Japanese caregivers used verbs in fewer referentially transparent contexts than American caregivers, or did not significantly differ from American caregivers, depending on the measure. These findings cast doubt on cross-cultural differences in referential transparency between Japanese and American child-directed input. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2025 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1486837 |
| Database: |
ERIC |