Heritage grammars as checkpoints in acquisition: A Dependent Case Theoretic account

Abstract

This paper investigates split ergativity in Turkish-dominant heritage speakers of Kurmanji. We show that the Dependent Case Theory (Marantz 1991; Baker 2015) accounts for the variation in case patterns across the baseline and heritage varieties. We develop a model of checkpoint-based acquisition that allows the emergence of the heritage patterns in Kurmanji as natural outcomes of acquisition paths where upward and downward dependent case rules are learnt independently. This sheds light into the shift from split ergativity towards accusativity across Kurmanji dialects including the heritage variety.