Pronominal Reference: Child Language and the Theory of Grammar (Studies in Theoretical Psycholinguistics)

Linguistic theory has seen a substantial shift in focus during the past decade. Whereas early research in generative grammar sought descriptive adequacy through the proliferation of transformational rules, recent efforts have concentrated on defining systems of principles that restrict the application of a greatly simplified sys­ tem of rules of grammar. These principles, because of their broad application within a particular language, and their appearance in a wide range of languages under investigation, are claimed to reflect innate cognitive structures often termed universal grammar. Accompanying this new, and very interesting research in linguis­ tic theory is an interest in certain aspects of the language acquisi­ tion process that relate to the theoretical claims. As new insights allow us to hypothesize both more specifically and more plausibly about linguistic universals, the actual facts about linguistic develop­ ment in young children become increasingly relevant as additionaldata on which to formulate and test new ideas. This book looks closely at a particular set of linguistic structures with respect to both linguistic theory and language development, exploring the relationship between the theoretical claims and the results of a series of language acquisition experiments. Although work of this sort is often called interdisciplinary, the issues addressed are clearly defined, although not all of them are answered. This book should be of particular interest to linguists, and to psychologists concerned with linguistic and cognitive development.

`The evidence for the adverse effects of television on the acquisition of reading skills and creativity (ideational fluency) is most provocative and should provide impetus for other investigators to take a fresh look at these domains. The marked drop in participation in community activities after the advent of television is strikingly documented. The authors have utilized Barker and Gump's concept of behavior settings to determine the proportion of people in each town who participated in each setting, their level of involvement, and the function the setting plays in the community. Amont the many interesting findings that warrant further study are the drop in participation in community activities by older people and the sharp decline in participation in outdoor sports by adolescents. The authors thoughtfully discuss the implications of these findings for the social structure and physical health of the community. The book merits serious attention. It reminds us of the richness of field studies in natural settings and of questions that have been neglected in a scientific climate in which social learning theory has dominated inquiry.'
Child Development Abstracts and Bibliography