LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 16:5 May 2016
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Acquisition of Verbal Morphology in
Manipuri-speaking Children

Dr. Ahanthem Romita Devi

Abstract

This research work has been carried out to study the acquisition of Manipuri verb morphology in monolingual children who are in the age range of 2 to 4. The study can thus reveal the actual developmental stages of acquisition of verb morphology across the years of acquisition. The study of the acquisition of verb inflection in Manipuri has also helped in explaining the nature of syntactic development, as the verb in Manipuri carries syntactic load of a sentence since verb inflection, basically, deals with tense and aspect, phi-features and mood.

Keywords: Tense, Aspect, Verb, Acquisition, Verbal Morphology, Manipuri

1. Introduction

The present research work seeks to study the acquisition of verb morphology in Manipuri monolingual children. The study has examined 25 verb lemmas and has covered the acquisition of verb morphology by Manipuri children within the age group of 2 to 4 years old. Lemma is the term assigned to the abstract base of a lexical entry (lexeme), i.e. to the correlation of (specific) lexical meaning with (specific) phonological material, which creates the lexical sign (Bittner et al. 2003).

Although acquisition of verb morphology has fascinated many researchers, such an attempt has not been made in Manipuri language so far. The reason why this study is necessary is because it can reveal the actual unfolding of the acquisition of verb morphology in the early age group of children. Moreover, acquisition of verb morphology in Manipuri will also offer an insight into the nature of tense and aspect as they emerge in acquisition of Manipuri. This implies that study of the acquisition of verb inflection in Manipuri will also explain the nature of syntactic development, as the verb in Manipuri in as much as it tends to carry the syntactic load of a sentence. The verb inflection, in general, deals with tense and aspect, phi-features and mood. The present work thus explores the nature and function of each of these properties of the verb in Manipuri.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.


Dr. Ahanthem Romita Devi
Assistant Professor
Department of Foreign Language
Manipur University
Canchipur
Imphal 795003
Manipur
romita.ahanthem@gmail.com
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