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NIH Working Groups on AAE
Peggy Speas Angelika Kratzer Christina Foreman Barbara Pearson Eliane Ramos Lisa SelkirkLisa Green Lamya Abdulkarim Shelley VellemanToya Wyatt Bart Hollebrandse Fred HallMike Dickey Linda Bland Debra Garrett Mike Terry Tempii Champion Minjoo KimJanice Jackson Laura Wagner Ida StockmanD’Jaris Coles Robin Schafer Deanna MooreVal Johnson Kristen Asplin Joe PaterTim Bryant Frances Burns Caroline Jones
Uri Strauss The Psychological Corporation (and several generations of ComDis MA students and Smith undergrads)
Motivations For A New Standardized Language
Assessment
Critical disproportionality of African-Americans in all categories of special education, including speech and language.
The misapprehension of typical AAE as disordered in the assessments which place children in special categories.
1450 Children:
All areas of the country: North South Middle West East
Mainstream ChildrenAfrican-American English Speaking ChildrenSLI Children (Cognitively allright, Language impaired)
ScreenerCriterion ReferencdNorm Referenced (2005)
14 subtests: phonology, pragmatics, morphology, story-telling Novel Word (Fast-mapping), Narrative
Syntax: articles, passives, wh-movement, quantification
Goal: Test UG-related pheonomenaAvoid: over-emphasis onmorphology and dialect sensitive things
The DELV SYNTAX Domain
• Focuses on a few core concepts of modern syntax
• Introduces elements of complexity
• (to reveal hidden knowledge)
Components of The DELV SYNTAX Domain
Question Type Core Concepts
WH-QUESTION COMPREHENSION
Variables
Movement
PASSIVES Movement
Hidden properties
ARTICLES Discourse properties(something in a prior sentence making requirements on an element in a
subsequent sentence)
Core CONCEPT #1 IN SYNTAX on the DELV
• I. Principles of MOVEMENT • Simple:• “I saw a boy, a girl, and a dog.” =>• “What did I see ( - ) ?”• Complex:• What did she say she saw ( - )?
• Does the child get complex movement right?
•
Core Syntactic Concept #1 on the DELV (con’t)
Does the child know…1. Where the WH word originates What did he eat ( - )? When did she say ( - ) she lost her purse (- )?
2. When certain structures "block" certain meanings:Ex. When did she say how she lost her purse?
can only mean "when did she SAY it” not “When did she lose it?”
Core Syntactic CONCEPT #2 on the DELV
• II. VARIABLES • (words that are intended to refer not to a single
referent, but to members of a set)• Examples:• Single-wh Question (1 variable)• . (“I saw a boy, a girl, and a dog.”)• “What did I see?” • “what” = set of objects (boy, girl, dog)• “Who was at dinner?”• “who” = the 5 or 6 individuals at dinner•
Core Syntactic CONCEPT #2 on the DELV (con’t)
• II. b. Complex Variables• 2 variables in the same
sentence:• “who bought what?” requires
reference to all the members in the 2 sets in an ordered relation:
• Person 1 bought Thing 1
• Person 2 bought Thing 2
Core Syntactic CONCEPT #2 on the DELV (con’t)
Does the child know how to answer Double WH-questions:
Who ate what?How did she play what?
Requires “set” answers to BOTH questions (he and she, chocolate and vanilla)
Not just listed, but PAIRED.
Ex. HE ate CHOCOLATE, and SHE ate VANILLA.
Testing Complex WH-Question Comprehension
We test this:1) Can children answer both parts of a double-WH? 2) Can children answer questions whose site of origin
is far away (long distance)?
and 3) Can children appropriately block meanings that the
grammar doesn’t allow, i.e.when there is a barrier?
Wh-Question Comprehension:Testing Procedure
The child is told a brief story about a pictured event.
They are then asked the key test question about some aspect of the event.
The pictured events and stories support several possible interpretations of the question.
This girl played different things in different ways. She played the drums with her feet and the piano
with her hands. How did the girl play what?
c. The Psychological Corporation
This father and this baby were having lunch together. Who ate what?
QuickTime™ and aPhoto - JPEG decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
c. The Psychological Corporation
Typical Answers to double WH questions
PAIRED, EXHAUSTIVE responses Ex. She played the piano with her hands and the drums with her
feet. SINGLETONS (Incorrect)
One element: “piano” “with her feet” Both objects, no instruments: “piano and drums” One pair: “the piano with her hands.”
OTHER “She played a lot.” “She was playing.”
Double-WH Example Responses from field testing
CHILD A (12663)
Feet and her hands
CHILD B (18221)
She played the piano with her hands and the drums with her feet.
Instruments only
0 points
Paired and exhaustive
1 point
Double-WH Example 2
CHILD A (12663)
Banana and a apple
CHILD B (18221)
The dad ate the apple, the baby ate the nana.
Objects only
0 points
Paired and exhaustive
1 point
Double-WH Responses by Age and Language Status
Double-WH Comprehension
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
4 5 6 7 8 9
Age
Average Correct/ of 3
Impaired
Typical
Double-WH Responses by Age and Dialect
Double-WH Comprehension
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
4 5 6 7 8 9
Age
Average correct/ of 3
AAE
MAE
This mother snuck out one night when her little girl was asleep and bought a surprise birthday cake. The next day the little girl saw the bag from the store and asked, “What did you buy?” The mom wanted to keep the surprise until
later so she said, “ Just some paper towels.” -- What did the mom say she bought?
QuickTime™ and aPhoto - JPEG decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
c. The Psychological Corporation
Typical Answers to “False Clause” questions
LONG DISTANCE (LD) TWO CLAUSE responses Ex. She said she bought paper towels.
ONE CLAUSE responses (Incorrect) Ex. (She bought) a birthday cake.
OTHER “a surprise” “a bag” “I don’t know.”
WH-False Clause Example Responses from field testing
CHILD A (12663)
A cake
CHILD B (18221)
Paper towels
1 clause answer
0 points
2-clause answer (long distance)
1 point
LD False Clause Response Types by Age and Language Status
Long Distance Movement Complement with False Clause
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
4 5 6 7 8 9
Age
Average Correct/ of 1
Impaired
Typical
Item Type 3 Barrier to Long Distance Movement
Note: Children’s ability to give LD answers (without embedded false clause) was tested in piloting and then in the DSLT Tryout testing. 90% of the children ages 4-6 and 95% of the children 7-10 gave at least one Long Distance answer, so for reasons of time, simple Long Distance items do not appear on the DELV.
This mom didn’t know how to bake a cake. She saw a TV program about cooking, and she learned to make a lovely cake with pudding
mix.-- How did the mom learn what to bake?
QuickTime™ and aPhoto - JPEG decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
c. The Psychological Corporation
Typical Answers toWH-barriers questions
SHORT DISTANCE responses (How did she learn…?) By watching TV..
MEDIAL ANSWERS (Incorrect) (…what to bake?) “a cake”
LONG DISTANCE responses (Incorrect) (How…..bake?) “With a pudding mix,” “With a spoon”
OTHER Ex. “She didn’t know how.”
WH-barrier Example ResponsesHow did she learn what to bake?
CHILD A (12663)
A cake
CHILD B (18221)
The TV teached her.
Medial
0 points
Short Distance
1 point
WH-barrier Example Responses 2Who did she ask what to buy?
CHILD A (12663)
bologna
CHILD B (18221)
The grocery store lady
Medial
0 points
Short Distance
1 point
WH Barrier Response Types by Age and Language Status
Comprehension of WH Barriers
0
1
2
3
4
5
4 5 6 7 8 9
Age
Average Correct/ of 5
Impaired
Typical
WH Barrier Responses by Age and Dialect
Comprehension of WH Barriers
0
1
2
3
4
5
4 5 6 7 8 9
Age
Average correct/ of 5
AAE
MAE
Other WH Example Responses
CHILD A (12663)
2 correct barriers, 2 barrier violations1 other
CHILD B (18221)
4 correct barriers1 medial
2 points (of 5)
Total:4 of 14
4 points (of 5)
Total: 12 of 14
Who are these children?
CHILD A (12663)
5 years oldWhite FemaleFrom South
Parents w/ HS education
Mainstream English speaker
Not receiving speech or language services
CHILD B (18221)
4 years oldAfrican American boyFrom “north Central” USParents w/ HS education
“Some difference” from MAE”
Not receiving speech or language services
Quantifiers and scope
Semantics is not just about the lexicon, it also involves quantification: terms like less, more, some, any, all, every, each, none.
The way these terms interact in sentences to give meaning is quite intricate.
The DELV tests children’s understanding of the word EVERY and how it works in sentences.
Is every man riding a horse?:Answer is “NO” if understand every
does not mean e.g. “some”
c. The Psychological Corporation
“Is every dog eating a bone?”Answer is ‘yes”, if understand that “every” is only attached to “dog”.
c. The Psychological Corporation
“The man watched every baby. He played the piano”. Answer is A if understand that “every”
cannot cross sentence boundaries for “he”.
c. The Psychological Corporation
What to learn? So the child must learn the meaning of specific quantifiers; the
differences between all, some, none, every. The child must recognize that these modify nouns, not whole
events e.g. every is not the same as ‘always’. The child must learn the limits on how ‘every’ works within a
sentence, not across sentences:
The man watched every baby play the piano
is not the same as:
The man watched every baby. He played the piano.
Correct responses of AAE versus MAE speakers on understanding
“every”
Understanding Quantifier "Every"
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
4 5 6 7 8 9
Age
av percent correct
AAE
MAE
Correct responses of language impaired versus typical children on
understanding “every”
Understanding Quantifier "Every"
0
20
40
60
80
100
4 5 6 7 8 9
Age
Av. percent correct
ImpairedTypical
Correct responses of AAE versus MAE speakers on understanding
sentence boundary condition
Quantifier Sentence Boundary Task
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
4 5 6 7 8 9
Age in Years
Av correct/ of 7
AAEMAE
Correct responses of language impaired versus typical children on understanding
sentence boundary condition
Quantifier Sentence Boundary Task
2
3
4
5
6
7
4 5 6 7 8 9
Age in Years
Av correct/ of 7
Impaired
Typical
What can go wrong?Children can fail in several ways on the
quantifier tasks, each revealing: A) They can miss the basic meaning of
every and answer “Yes” instead of “No” to the cowboy picture
B) They can take “every” to apply also to the rabbit in the dog picture, not limiting it to the NP, and say No instead of yes.
C) They can fail to discern the condition on every by a sentence boundary, and think he=every baby.
Test 2: PASSIVES
3 Question Types
Simple passives Testing movement
Complex passives Testing for hidden properties
(agents, time information)
“By-phrases” Focus on “ed” versus “ing”
Simple PASSIVES
Does the child distinguish these two sentences?
Ex. Someone pushed the elephant.
The elephant was pushed.
Must choose PASSIVE over ACTIVE or NEUTRAL foil.
COMPLEX Passives
Does the child distinguish these two sentences?
Ex. The boy’s face was painted.
The boy’s face was being painted.
Must distinguish BETWEEN TWO PASSIVES.
BY-PHRASE (non)-Passives
Does the child distinguish these two sentences?
Ex. The plant was droppED by John.
The plant was droppING by John.
Must REJECT the passive when ED does not accompany the “be” auxiliary.
Passive Overall
Comprehension of Passive
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
4 5 6 7 8 9
Age
Average Correct/ of 12
ImpairedTypical
Sample children’s responses
CHILD A (12663)
Simple passives 2 of 4 Complex: 1 of 4 Locative by-phrases
1 of 2 (doesn’t show mastery)
4 of 10 (chose 5 active foils) (lowest 30% of 5-year-olds)
CHILD B (18221)
Simple passives 3 of 4 Complex: 2 of 4 Locative by-phrases
2 of 2
7 of 10 (top 70% of 4’s)
ARTICLES: Making DISCOURSE CONNECTIONS
Example Article Prompt:
A bird flew out of a cage because something was open? What was it?
THE door (not A door)
Has the child learned to interpret articles as reference to context? (Although the “door” was not explicitly mentioned, it is a PART of the cage and “inherits” its definite reference (the) from the mention of the cage.) Is the child sensitive to that relationship?
Use of Articles “a” and “the”
Types of a and the in the DELV
Condition Label Description Part-the: part of a previously mentioned object Familiar-the: previously mentioned object Specific-a: referent known to speaker only Non-referential-a: non-referential, but assumed in situation Predicational-a: nominal following have
Subtle demands on child’s syntax and semantics
Articles differ cross-linguistically, need careful exposure
Cf. Spanish use “the hat” for specific and non-specific; Chinese “hat” is specific and non-specific;
English is a MIXED system -- “the hat” is specific and known; “a hat” non-specific
Essentially the same in AAE and MAE Engages context, presupposition and general knowledge
Need to test WITHOUT PICTURE STIMULI Which can change conditions on presuppositions, known and new
Examples of eliciting questions
Part-the: Sally was going to eat a banana, but first she had to take something off it. What did she take off it? (THE peel)
Specific-a: I'll bet you have something hanging on the wall of your room at home. What is it? (A picture)
Non-referential-a: Fred wants to take his teddy bear, his favorite game, and his soccer ball over to his cousin’s house when he goes to visit. What can he put them all in? (A bag)
Predicational-a: Think of a baseball player. Can you imagine what one looks like? What does he have? (A glove)
Types of Article Errors
Using “a” for “the” (8 times more common than “the” for “a”)
Bare Singular (“fly kite”) Irrelevant responses (“My sister has one.” “The
man in the moon.”)
(when children say “my doll” or “some games,” they are re-prompted with “anything else?”)
Familiar-the: A cat and a bird were sitting in a tree. They were friends. One of them flew out of the tree. Guess which. (THE bird)
Development of correct article use in typically developing and language impaired children
Article Production
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
4 5 6 7 8 9
Age
Average Score /8
IMPAIREDTYPICAL
Development of correct article use in MAE and AAE speaking children.
Article Production
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
4 5 6 7 8 9
Age
Average Score /8
AAEMAE
Conclusions
We have shown that the assessment of complex aspects of children’s syntactic development between the ages of 4 and 9 can be carried out in a dialect neutral fashion.
These materials and procedures capture the development of several aspects of language that are vital for success in early schooling and the transition to literacy.
They provide the clinician with a substantial profile of the child language strengths and weaknesses, not just a diagnostic categorization.
As such they provide a much richer evaluation of language variation and its sources that has direct implications for areas and methods of intervention.