The Using Predicates and the Relations to Sentence Production of Aged 2-3

Abstract

Objectives: The ability of children to use predicates in spontaneous language is important for expressing their intentions and producing sentences as well. This study aimed to examine the use of predicates in children aged 2;6-3;11 and the relationship between the use of predicates and syntax development.Methods: Sixty children aged 2;6-3;11 participated in this study. The participants were classified into three groups of 6-month intervals: late 2-years, early 3-years, and late 3-years. Spontaneous language samples were collected during an interaction between the researcher and the children using books and pictures during conversations. The number of total predicates (NTP), the number of different predicates (NDP), NTP and NDP by subcategory for measuring use of predicates, and the Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) for measuring the sentence production were measured from the 50 utterances.Results: The NTP of the early and the late 3-years groups was significantly higher than the late 2-years group and the NDP increased significantly from the late 2-years group to the late 3-years group. Among the subcategories of the predicates, significant differences were found in the number of total verbs (NTV), the number of different verbs (NDV), the number of total adjectives (NTA), the number of different adjectives (NDA), the number of total auxiliary verbs (NTAV) and the number of different auxiliary verbs (NDAV). Regression analysis showed that the NTV (53.8%) and the NDA (14.4%) explained the MLU in words; and the NTV (62.9%), NTA (15.1%) and NDV (2.0%) explained the MLU in morphemes.Conclusion: This study confirmed the developmental aspects of the use of predicates in the spontaneous language of children aged 2;6-3;11 and how the use of predicates affects the ability to produce sentences. We discussed the clinical implications of the results and suggest the need for follow-up studies.