Asymmetries in Acquisition of Interrogative Sentences

Recent research on the acquisition of wh-questions has revealed several developmental asymmetries. Data from an impressive number of studies have provided evidence that some wh-questions are more difficult than others. However, this difficulty has been argued to be subject to differences determined by language specific properties, showing that extending the investigation to as many languages as possible may contribute to a better understanding of the factors which determine the acquisition route of wh-questions and the acquisition of syntax in general.

This book offers a chart of the acquisition of wh-questions in child Romanian, investigating the availability of possible developmental asymmetries in the acquisition of wh-questions. It focuses on the production of wh-questions in spontaneous speech and in experimental data, considering the comprehension of wh-questions in spontaneous conversation and in an experimental context. The results of the investigation are used to evaluate the explanatory power of Child Relativized Minimality (CRM) and the AGREE Interference approach (AIA).