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Development of vocabulary and grammar in young German-speaking children assessed with a German language development inventory

Gisela Szagun

University of Oldenburg

Claudia Steinbrink

University of Ulm

Melanie Franik

Barbara Stumper

University of Oldenburg

Using a parent report instrument, the development of vocabulary and grammar was examined in 333 German-speaking children aged between 1;6 and 2;6. Grammar scales measured sentence complexity and inflectional morphology. Results indicate that vocabulary increased faster than sentence complexity and inflectional morphology. Within inflectional paradigms, noun plural and gender marking were acquired faster than case marking and verb inflections. Modals and copula were acquired most slowly. There was extensive variability on all language scales. The different language skills were strongly related, with grammatical development increasing non-linearly in dependence on vocabulary. There was a mild effect of gender favouring girls. The results converge with results of studies in other languages using a parent report instrument. There is some evidence for concurrent validity for the present questionnaire.

Key Words: Critical mass effect • diary studies • growth curves • individual differences • MacArthur CDI

First Language, Vol. 26, No. 3, 259-280 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0142723706056475
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