The acquisition of evidential markers in L1 Chinese: data from Taiwan Mandarin-speaking children

Abstract

This study examines several issues concerning the acquisition of evidential markers in Chinese with Taiwan Mandarin-speaking children, including evidential type, acquisition order, and age effect. A production task (i.e., picture-description task) and a comprehension task (i.e., multiple-choice task) were completed by forty children who were divided into two age groups, 3-year-olds and 5-year-olds. Twenty adult native speakers of Taiwan Mandarin were recruited as controls.
The results showed that direct evidential markers were comprehended and produced prior to indirect. For the order of acquisition, the child participants found visual markers and non-visual markers equally easy, while they understood reported markers better than inferring markers. Finally, age was identified as a crucial factor in children’s acquisition of Chinese evidential markers. The 3-year-olds had some success with the use of direct evidential markers, but they still had difficulties with indirect evidential markers. The 5-year-olds significantly outperformed the 3-year-olds but they did not reach an adult-like level.