The acquisition of Chinese relative clauses: contrasting two theoretical approaches
This study examines the comprehension of relative clauses by Chinese-speaking children, and evaluates the validity of the predictions of the Dependency Locality Theory (Gibson, 1998, 2000) and the Relativized Minimality approach (Friedmann, Belletti & Rizzi, 2009). One hundred and twenty children from three to eight years of age were tested by using a character–sentence matching task. We found a preference for subject relative clauses that persists as children grow older. This preference is predicted by the Relativized Minimality approach, but not by the Dependency Locality Theory. In addition, we observed a fine-grained class of errors in comprehension. We discuss it in the light of the head-final status of Chinese relative clauses.
This article is an analysis and appreciation of the essays under the same title “Children” by Feng Zikai and Zhu Ziqing. Their difference in style and tastes is a reflection of the difference of thoughts and educational backgrounds of the two writers. And their different views of life.