Acquisition of Morphological Variation: An Elicitation Experiment on Children’s Production of Parallel Forms in Croatian and Estonian

• DOI: 10.1017/s0305000925000017
• Publication Date: 2025-02-21T09:09:57Z
• Authors: Virve-Anneli Vihman; Gordana Hržica; Mari Aigro; Sara Košutar; Tomislava Bošnjak...
• Keywords: Estonian; Croatian; Plural; Variation (astronomy); Lexeme; Indo-European languages

Abstract Children’s acquisition of variation in the target language depends on a number factors not yet well understood. This study probes morphological two unrelated languages, Croatian (Slavic) and Estonian (Finnic), focussing parallel forms lexeme expressing single grammatical category (a phenomenon known as overabundance). We conducted cross-linguistic elicitation experiment with 140 monolingual, typically developing children aged 3;0 to 6;11 (80 learning Croatian, 60 Estonian). elicited genitive plural partitive Estonian, lexemes which either are invariant or allow more than one form. Children both languages were less accurate forms, indicating that hindered acquisition. Pattern type frequency was found affect accuracy languages. choice between unaffected by age, but significant language-specific differences emerged.