Ling B: Mechanisms in language acquisition and change
Block 1
Tuesday & Thursday, 9:00-10:20 am (NY)
(4:00-5:20 pm, Kyiv/St. P)
Scholars have long noted parallel patterns between language acquisition and change (e.g. Andersen 1973; Cournane 2017; Kiparsky 1965; Kroch 2001; Lightfoot 1979; Paul 1880). Both processes are fundamentally dynamic: Languages undergo change in speech communities whose linguistic compositions are constantly in flux over time. Words enter and leave grammars over time which may result in either the emergence, or disappearance, of linguistic patterns. Similarly, children must construct grammars based on learning individual words as they develop over time to become mature speakers. Some linguistic patterns emerge early, whereas others are attested only after the child has accumulated sufficient lexical experience over several years. In this seminar, we will cover fundamental issues in both language acquisition and change to see the parallels and differences between the two processes.