Showing papers by "Elinor Ochs published in 1982"
TL;DR: This article examined the relation between cultural beliefs and values on the one hand and the organization of communication between caregivers and young children on the other, and compared caregiver-child verbal interaction in two different communities, rural Western Samoa and middle class, with an emphasis on the former.
Abstract: This study examines the relation between cultural beliefs and values on the one hand and the organization of communication between caregivers and young children on the other. The study compares caregiver-child verbal interaction in two different communities, rural Western Samoa and Anglo middle class, with an emphasis on the former. It illustrates ways in which organization of turn-taking and procedures for clarification and interpretation are linked to beliefs and expectations concerning the nature of children and the social organization of caregiving. (Language acquisition, socialization, input, communicative competence, Oceania.)
294 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a study of the acquisition of ergative case-marking (ECM) in Samoan indicates that it rarely appears in the speech of 2-4 year old children and that the late acquisition of ECM is caused primarily by the fact that expression of the casemarker in adult Samoan is sociolinguistically variable.
Abstract: A study of the acquisition of ergative case~marking (ECM) in Samoan indicates that 'it rarely appears in the speech of2-4 year old children. It is argued that the late acquisition of ECM is caused primarily by the fact that expression of the case-marker in adult Samoan is sociolinguistically variable, with speech between household members showing the lowest frequency of expression of the case-marker. However, evidence suggests that Samoan children encode ergative distinctions through word order, in that they tend to reserve the position immediately following the verb for absolutive constituents.*
44 citations