WHEN IS IT BEST TO HEAR A VERB - THE EFFECTS OF THE TIMING AND FOCUS OF VERB MODELS ON CHILDRENS LEARNING OF VERBS

This paper explores the effects of certain aspects of verb input on ve rb acquisition. It has been observed that the timing of a verb model a ffects children's learning of the verb (Tomasello & Kruger, 1992). It has also been observed that the focus of the event to which the verb r efers affects the argument structure children assign to the verb (Pink er, 1989). This experiment investigated the interaction between the ti ming of verb models and the focus of the events to which they refer. T hirty children aged from 2;3 to 3;6 heard two novel verbs, one movemen t focused and the other result focused. Half heard the verbs before th e event (impending condition) and half after it (completed condition). An interaction of verb timing and verb focus was found. The movement verb was learned better in the impending condition and the result verb in the completed condition. The contribution of this finding to our u nderstanding of the processes involved in verb acquisition is consider ed.