The subject-object asymmetry revisited: Experimental and computational approaches to the role of information structure in children’s argument omissionsCitation formats

Standard

The subject-object asymmetry revisited: Experimental and computational approaches to the role of information structure in children’s argument omissions. / Graf, Eileen; Theakston, Anna; Freudenthal, Daniel; Lieven, Elena.

In: IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems, Vol. 12, No. 2, 8822484, 06.2020, p. 189-197.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Harvard

Graf, E, Theakston, A, Freudenthal, D & Lieven, E 2020, 'The subject-object asymmetry revisited: Experimental and computational approaches to the role of information structure in children’s argument omissions', IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems, vol. 12, no. 2, 8822484, pp. 189-197. https://doi.org/10.1109/TCDS.2019.2938924

APA

Graf, E., Theakston, A., Freudenthal, D., & Lieven, E. (2020). The subject-object asymmetry revisited: Experimental and computational approaches to the role of information structure in children’s argument omissions. IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems, 12(2), 189-197. [8822484]. https://doi.org/10.1109/TCDS.2019.2938924

Vancouver

Graf E, Theakston A, Freudenthal D, Lieven E. The subject-object asymmetry revisited: Experimental and computational approaches to the role of information structure in children’s argument omissions. IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems. 2020 Jun;12(2):189-197. 8822484. https://doi.org/10.1109/TCDS.2019.2938924

Author

Graf, Eileen ; Theakston, Anna ; Freudenthal, Daniel ; Lieven, Elena. / The subject-object asymmetry revisited: Experimental and computational approaches to the role of information structure in children’s argument omissions. In: IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems. 2020 ; Vol. 12, No. 2. pp. 189-197.

Bibtex

@article{dc79a27ea43a4e1e9d157f7c624e45bc,
title = "The subject-object asymmetry revisited: Experimental and computational approaches to the role of information structure in children{\textquoteright}s argument omissions",
abstract = "In two studies, we investigated the relation between information structure and argument omission in German child language in order to quantify to what extent the subject-object hypothesis (i.e., subjects are omitted more often than objects) is influenced by discourse pragmatics. Twenty four children took part in an elicited production study in which they produced transitive subject-verb-object and object-verb-subject sentences. Both constructions are instances of a topic-comment information structure. The results showed that 3;6 year-old children omitted subjects and objects alike when the arguments assumed topics status and were placed in utterance-initial position. In a second study, we then assessed whether a model of language learning implemented with a recency bias (resulting in learning from the end of utterances) would produce similar omission rates of initial arguments. The model was found to be sensitive to the frequency with which both word orders occurred in the input: initial objects were omitted more often than initial subjects, the pattern found in German caregiver speech. The results suggest that argument omission is heavily influenced by information structure and that a subject-object asymmetry per se does not exist.",
keywords = "Argument omission, Computational models of language learning, Experimental pragmatics, Information structure, Language development, Model of syntax acquisition in children (mosaic), Null subjects, Object drop, Subject-object asymmetry",
author = "Eileen Graf and Anna Theakston and Daniel Freudenthal and Elena Lieven",
year = "2020",
month = jun,
doi = "10.1109/TCDS.2019.2938924",
language = "English",
volume = "12",
pages = "189--197",
journal = "IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems",
issn = "2379-8920",
publisher = "IEEE",
number = "2",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - The subject-object asymmetry revisited: Experimental and computational approaches to the role of information structure in children’s argument omissions

AU - Graf, Eileen

AU - Theakston, Anna

AU - Freudenthal, Daniel

AU - Lieven, Elena

PY - 2020/6

Y1 - 2020/6

N2 - In two studies, we investigated the relation between information structure and argument omission in German child language in order to quantify to what extent the subject-object hypothesis (i.e., subjects are omitted more often than objects) is influenced by discourse pragmatics. Twenty four children took part in an elicited production study in which they produced transitive subject-verb-object and object-verb-subject sentences. Both constructions are instances of a topic-comment information structure. The results showed that 3;6 year-old children omitted subjects and objects alike when the arguments assumed topics status and were placed in utterance-initial position. In a second study, we then assessed whether a model of language learning implemented with a recency bias (resulting in learning from the end of utterances) would produce similar omission rates of initial arguments. The model was found to be sensitive to the frequency with which both word orders occurred in the input: initial objects were omitted more often than initial subjects, the pattern found in German caregiver speech. The results suggest that argument omission is heavily influenced by information structure and that a subject-object asymmetry per se does not exist.

AB - In two studies, we investigated the relation between information structure and argument omission in German child language in order to quantify to what extent the subject-object hypothesis (i.e., subjects are omitted more often than objects) is influenced by discourse pragmatics. Twenty four children took part in an elicited production study in which they produced transitive subject-verb-object and object-verb-subject sentences. Both constructions are instances of a topic-comment information structure. The results showed that 3;6 year-old children omitted subjects and objects alike when the arguments assumed topics status and were placed in utterance-initial position. In a second study, we then assessed whether a model of language learning implemented with a recency bias (resulting in learning from the end of utterances) would produce similar omission rates of initial arguments. The model was found to be sensitive to the frequency with which both word orders occurred in the input: initial objects were omitted more often than initial subjects, the pattern found in German caregiver speech. The results suggest that argument omission is heavily influenced by information structure and that a subject-object asymmetry per se does not exist.

KW - Argument omission

KW - Computational models of language learning

KW - Experimental pragmatics

KW - Information structure

KW - Language development

KW - Model of syntax acquisition in children (mosaic)

KW - Null subjects

KW - Object drop

KW - Subject-object asymmetry

U2 - 10.1109/TCDS.2019.2938924

DO - 10.1109/TCDS.2019.2938924

M3 - Article

VL - 12

SP - 189

EP - 197

JO - IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems

JF - IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems

SN - 2379-8920

IS - 2

M1 - 8822484

ER -