Acquisition of a Null Subject Language
Acquisition of a Null Subject Language

Summary/Abstract: This study analyzes the use of pro-drop in speech among children between the ages 2;0- 4;8 acquiring Turkish as a native language. The data analyzed is part of the CHILDES data base and includes cross-sectional language data from a total of 48 children. The data was categorized according to the type of verb (verbal, nonverbal, existential or imperative) and the age of the child. Those cases where the child omitted the pronoun where it was not recoverable from the context are highlighted. The analysis of the data demonstrates that children from all age groups omit the subject pronouns, especially in verbal sentences. The data from children in the smallest age group demonstrates that they tend to overgeneralize the pro-drop rule to cause ambiguity in some cases. The rate of pro-drop decreases with age and children tend to use it more correctly.

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