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The research for this dissertation is focused on the following two issues: (1) Can bilingual child language development be considered as 'two monolinguals in one', and (2) Can bilingual child language contribute uniquely to our understanding of the acquisition process in all children? Three studies examining functional categories in the grammatical development of bilingual and second language children were conducted in order to address these questions. / Study 1 investigates potential interference between the developing grammars of three French-English bilingual children. Naturalistic production data were collected from the children at six month intervals between approximately 2;0 and 3;0 years of age. The data were examined for the children's acquisition of INFL and these results were compared with extant findings for monolingual French and English speaking children. The results indicate that these bilingual children showed no evidence of transfer, acceleration. or delay in acquisition and support the hypothesis that their grammars are acquired autonomously and like those of monolinguals. / The principle focus of Study 2 is an investigation of the continuity debate on functional category acquisition through an analysis of bilingual language development. In this study, the acquisition of INFL and DET by two French-English bilingual children was examined. These children were at an earlier stage of syntactic development than those in Study 1. Naturalistic production data were collected at two month intervals from the children, between approximately 2;0 to 3;0 years of age. The analyses indicate that INFL appeared at different times in the children's languages; whereas, DET appeared at the same time. The results are discussed with respect to the maturation and continuity views on the acquisition of functional categories. Because of the between-language discrepancy in the emergence of INFL, it is argued that these findings support a continuity perspective. It is also argued that bilingual first language acquisition provides unique evidence bearing on the continuity debate. / The principal focus of Study 3 is also the continuity debate on functional category acquisition, but in contrast to Study 2, the children in this study were second language learners. In this study, the acquisition of features within INFL, agreement and tense, were examined separately to determine if they are acquired in sequence. Fifteen English-speaking learners of French and five monolingual francophone grade-mates. participated in the study. A structured oral interview was given annually to each of the children from grade one to grade three, and the transcripts were analysed for the use of tense and agreement. The results revealed that items encoding agreement emerged before items encoding tense in the second language learners' speech, suggesting that these features emerge in sequence in their grammars. The findings are interpreted with respect to three prevailing views on continuity in the acquisition of functional phrase structure in second language acquisition. It is argued that a weak continuity position is best supported by the data.

This research was designed to provide information concerning the developmental differences in early language production and comprehension between 21 month-old first born and second born children. Furthermore, the study explored the assumption that more opportunities to hear conversations between the parent and the older sibling provide an advantage for second born children in learning personal pronouns. / Spontaneous speech productions of 16 first born children were compared to those of 16 second born children while in dyadic interactions with their mothers. First born children were observed in two 25 minute free-play dyadic interactions with their mothers. Second born children were observed in one 25 minute free-play mother-child dyadic interaction and in one 25 minute free-play mother-child-older sibling triadic interaction. All children were administered controlled tasks involving production and comprehension of first and second person pronouns. / Compared to first borns, second born children are not significantly delayed in general language development. Second borns' speech productions differ depending on whether or not their older sibling was present. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The emergence of language is a phenomenon that lies at the core of higher human cognition and which continues to be the source of controversy and debate. In a series of three studies, the present thesis examined issues pertaining to language acquisition, (i) providing insight into the origins of language by addressing the question of whether the basis of babbling is fundamentally motoric or linguistic, (ii) positing new properties of babbling in order to discriminate between the linguistic and non-linguistic behaviors produced by babies, and (iii) describing the processes underlying babies' transition from babbles to first words. In Manuscript 1, using Optotrak, the manual activity of six hearing babies was examined (at ages 6, 10 and 12 months; 3 babies were exposed to a signed language and 3 to a spoken language). Analyses revealed that only the sign-exposed babies produced linguistic activity (manual babbling) at a frequency of approximately 1 Hz and subsequent videotape analyses revealed that babbling was produced in the linguistic signing space. Non-linguistic activity was produced by both groups of babies at approximately 2.5 Hz and fell outside the signing space. In Manuscript 2, the oral activity of ten hearing babies acquiring a spoken language was examined for evidence of mouth asymmetry (between ages 5 and 12 months). Right mouth opening was observed only while the babies were babbling (reflecting left hemisphere language specialization), as contrasted with equal or left mouth opening for non-linguistic oral activity. In Manuscript 3, a combination of sources (videotapes, parental reports, interviews, and experimenter notes) was used to examine how six hearing bilingual babies acquired the meanings of words/signs across their two languages (from ages 7 to 26 months; 3 babies were exposed to a signed and a spoken language and 3 to two spoken languages). The babies constrained, organized, and used their first words/signs in simila

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Psychology, 1983. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 361-376).

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2006. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Adelaide, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-269).