Contribution in an anthology

Appeared in: Williams syndrome across languages

Editor list: Bartke, S; Siegmüller, J

Publication year: 2004

Pages: 345-370

ISBN: 978-90-272-5295-1

eISBN: 978-90-272-9551-4

Title of series: Language acquisition & language disorders

Number in series: 36

Abstract: 

This paper investigates passive acquisition in exceptional developmental
circumstances, the so-called Williams syndrome (WS). The purpose of
this study is twofold. First, results add to the discussion whether
individuals with WS will be able to analyse and use linguistic rules as
claimed by Clahsen and colleagues (1998, 2001). Second, data provide
insight into a special area of syntactic development. Participants
consisted of ten individuals with WS (age range: 6– 22 years; mental age
range: 3;4– 7;6). The control group included 103 normally developing
children (3– 8 years). The results of this picture-pointing task reveal
that young WS children lag behind their control mates, but they catch up
by a mental age of 5 years. Thus, WS children are able to analyse
syntactic regularities. Further, language development in WS maybe
interpreted in terms of a delay rather than a deviant path of
development.

Harvard Citation style: Bartke, S. (2004) Passives in German children with Williams syndrome, in Bartke, S. and Siegmüller, J. (eds.) Williams syndrome across languages. Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company, pp. 345-370

APA Citation style: Bartke, S. (2004). Passives in German children with Williams syndrome. In Bartke, S., & Siegmüller, J. (Eds.), Williams syndrome across languages (pp. 345-370). John Benjamins Publishing Company.