Learning Indigenous Languages: Child Language Acquisition in Mesoamerica / / ed. by Barbara Pfeiler.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter DGBA Backlist Complete English Language 2000-2014 PART1
• MitwirkendeR: Brown, Penelope,; Carreón, Carlos Carrillo,; López, Paula Gómez,; Mateo, Pedro,; Pfeiler, Barbara,; Pye, Clifton,; de León, Lourdes,; de López, Kristine Jensen,
• HerausgeberIn: Pfeiler, Barbara,
• Place / Publishing House: Berlin ;, Boston : : De Gruyter Mouton, , [2011]; ©2007
• Year of Publication: 2011
• Language: English
• Series: Studies on Language Acquisition [SOLA] , 33
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (209 p.) :; Num. figs. and ill.

This book includes six studies on the acquisition of single Mesoamerican indigenous languages, (Huichol, Zapotec, and the Mayan languages Ch'ol, Tzeltal, K'iche', and Yukatek); and a crosslinguistic study of five Mayan languages (K'anjob'al, K'iche', Tzeltal, Tzotzil, and Yukatek). Three topics are theoretically and methodologically discussed and empirically demonstrated: with respect to ergativity, the ergative-absolutive cross-referencing pattern on the morphological level, noun-verb distinction and the acquisition of body-part locatives in the early lexicon, and the role of semantic properties and cultural context in language acquisition and socialization. This book makes important claims regarding the methodology of cross-linguistic studies as well as the results of these studies and the comparative method used in the book (structural and discursive factors in language acquisition, cross-linguistic relationships and variation).

Table of Contents

i-iv -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction: The view from Mesoamerica -- Roots or Edges? Explaining variation in children’s early verb forms across five Mayan languages -- Explaining Ergativity -- Early acquisition of the Split Intransitive System in Yukatek -- A preliminary view at Ch’ol (Mayan) early lexicon: The role of language and cultural context -- Acquisition of referential and relational words in Huichol: from 16 to 24 months of age -- Culture-specific influences on semantic development: Learning the Tzeltal ‘benefactive’ construction -- Bcuaa quiang – I stepped HEAD it! The acquisition of Zapotec bodypart locatives -- “Lo oye, lo repite y lo piensa.” The contribution of prompting to the socialization and language acquisition in Yukatek Maya toddlers -- List of contributors -- Index