Understanding Complex Sentences: Native Speaker Variation in Syntactic Competence

Chipere, Ngoni

ISBN 10: 0333986393 / ISBN 13: 9780333986394

Published by Palgrave MacMillan, 2003

About this Item

248pp. Sewn binding in navy simulated cloth with silver gilt stamped lettering. Ex-library; exceedingly clean and sharp with sound binding and no evidence of use. Shipped professionally in a box.

Seller Inventory # 514576

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Understanding Complex Sentences: Native Speaker Variation in Syntactic Competence
• Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0333986393
• ISBN 13: 9780333986394
• Binding: Hardcover with Dust Jacket
• Condition: VERY GOOD
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 32 ounces

About this title

Synopsis

Is native speaker variation in understanding complex sentences due to individual differences in working memory capacity or in syntactic competence? The answer to this question has very important consequences for both theoretical and applied concerns in linguistics and education. This book is distinctive in giving an historical and interdisciplinary perspective on the rule- based and experience-based debate and in supporting an integrated account. In the study reported here, variation was found to be due to differences in syntactic competence and the author argues that sentence comprehension is a learned skill, displaying many of the general characteristics of cognitive skills. The book will be stimulating reading for psycholinguists, theoretical linguists, applied linguists and educators.

About the Author

DR NGONI CHIPERE is Research Fellow in the Department of Education at Reading University, working on child language development. His doctoral research in sentence comprehension was undertaken at Cambridge University and he held a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate prior to his current post . He has extensive teaching experience in schools.