Bassano Dominique, van Geert Paul
Laboratoire Structures Formelles du Langage, CNRS-Université Paris 8, France.
Dev Sci. 2007 Sep;10(5):588-612. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2007.00629.x.
The confluence of an anomaly such as a growth spurt or a temporary regression on the one hand and a temporary increase in intra-individual variability on the other hand, forms a strong indicator of a major transition in early language development. Data concern one-word (W1), two- and three-word (W2-3), and four-and-more-word (W4+) utterances from two French children during their second and third years. A dynamic growth model was fitted, based on a structure of supportive, conditional and competitive relationships. Using a statistical simulation method, we showed two striking peaks of variability in addition to a temporary regression or rapid growth in the proportions of W1, W2-3 and W4+ utterances. We argue that these phenomena show transitions corresponding to critical points in grammatical development, which could be indicative of the emergence of simple combinatorial and syntactic stages of language successively. Our results emphasize the relevance of time-serial data and of intra-individual variability in the study of developmental transitions in general.
一方面，诸如生长突增或暂时衰退等异常情况，与另一方面个体内部变异性的暂时增加相结合，构成了早期语言发展中重大转变的有力指标。数据涉及两名法国儿童在其第二年和第三年中说出的单字词（W1）、双字词和三字词（W2 - 3）以及四字及以上字词（W4 +）的话语。基于支持、条件和竞争关系的结构，拟合了一个动态增长模型。使用统计模拟方法，我们展示了除W1、W2 - 3和W4 +话语比例的暂时衰退或快速增长之外的两个显著变异性峰值。我们认为，这些现象显示了与语法发展中的临界点相对应的转变，这可能依次表明语言简单组合和句法阶段的出现。我们的结果强调了时间序列数据和个体内部变异性在一般发展转变研究中的相关性。
