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Is children´s language acquisition based on innate linguistic structures or built from cognitive and communicative skills? This book summarises the major theoretical debates in all of the core domains of child language acquisition research (phonology, word-learning, inflectional morphology, syntax and binding) and includes a complete introduction to the two major contrasting theoretical approaches: generativist and constructivist. For each debate, the predictions of the competing accounts are closely and even-handedly evaluated against the empirical data. The result is an evidence-based review of the central issues in language acquisition research that will constitute a valuable resource for students, teachers, course-builders and researchers alike.


Introduces and critically evaluates all of the major research methods used in the field
Contains a complete introduction to the two major theoretical approaches to child language acquisition (generativist and constructivist)
Includes a comprehensive ´where are we now?´ summary, suggesting possible directions for future research



Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Speech perception, segmentation and production
3. Learning word meaning
4. Theoretical approaches to grammar acquisition
5. Inflection
6. Simple syntax
7. Movement and complex syntax
8. Binding, quantification and control
9. Related debates and conclusions