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Adult and child production of Quechua relative clauses

The University of Texas at El Paso

This study investigates the production of Quechua relative clauses by Peruvian adults and children, aged 2;8–4;7. Quechua relative clauses may be internallyheaded, externally-headed or headless. Previous studies (e.g., O'Grady, 2003), suggested two outcomes: children will have less difficulty producing subject-gap relative clauses than other types; and, compared with adults, children will produce more headed relatives, especially internally-headed relative clauses. A procedure was used to elicit production of two relative clauses for each of four types: subject-gap, direct object-gap, non-direct object-gap, possessor-gap. Participants produced all types with equal ease, although children produced more errors; children produced comparatively more headless relatives, and their headed relative clauses were overwhelmingly externally-headed. This outcome is attributed to children's learning [modifier+noun] constructions resembling headless and externally-headed relative clauses.

Key Words: Accessibility hierarchy • argument ellipsis • children's grammar • Conchucos Quechua • morphosyntactic development

First Language, Vol. 26, No. 3, 317-338 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0142723706062677


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