Let’s practice coding complex syntax. We’ll walk you through it! Karen Barako Arndt & C. Melanie Schuele Vanderbilt University Medical Center Revised (to.
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Transcript
Let’s practice coding complex syntax.We’ll walk you through it!
Karen Barako Arndt & C. Melanie SchueleVanderbilt University Medical Center
Barako Arndt, K. & Schuele, C. M. (2013). Multiclausal utterances aren’t just for big kids: A framework for analysis of complex syntax production in spoken language of preschool- and early school-age children. Topics in Language Disorders, 33(2), 125-139.
Supplemental Complex Syntax Coding Practice
In this tutorial you will find two language samplesThe first sample is from a typical, 5-year-old
male. We have already identified the utterances that include complex syntax. You will need to do two things: 1. Find (and underline) the elements of each utterance
that make it complex, and 2. Use the complex syntax coding manual and select a
complex syntax type (or types) for each utterance.
After you have some practice coding, you will be ready to try a more independent task! The second sample is from a typical, 4-year-old
male. In this sample we have NOT identified utterances as complex or not. You will need to do two things: 1. Identify which utterances are complex, marking them
with a [cs] code, and 2. Further identify these utterances with the appropriate
C But I did remember when I had him. C (well) if you win you just have to help lady. E What happens during morning meeting?E What do you have to do?C (well) you just go see my teacher Miss
Ragsdale.C [p:mhm] And we go to the rainbow carpet. C and we listen to what she says.C and she tell/3s us what day it is.
C (well) if you win you just have to help lady. E What happens during morning meeting?E What do you have to do?C (well) you just go see my teacher Miss
Ragsdale.C [p:mhm] And we go to the rainbow carpet C and we listen to what she says.C and she tell/3s us what day it is.
SDC for Barako Arndt & Schuele (2013); revised 9-30-15
C {mm} (well) I don't remember where I got him but I did remember when I had him [NRC] [FPC].
C (well) if you win you just have to help lady
[SC]. E What happens during morning meeting?E What do you have to do?C (well) you just go see my teacher Miss
Ragsdale.C [p:mhm] And we go to the rainbow carpetC and we listen to what she says [NRC].C and she tell/3s us what day it is [WFC].
Now to explain the utterances below. In the first complex utterance, what she says is an NRC (cf., the thing that she
says); the dependent clause occupies the NP (noun phrase) position as an object of the preposition to. In the
second complex utterance, what day it is is a complement of the verb tell. Notice the similarity of these dependent classes but the different function in the clause - noun
position of a prepositional phrase vs. as a verb complement. TELL requires two complements – an indirect
12 c what do [d] you wanna do? 13 e (well) we're going to play with this house. 14 c (yeah). 15 e (okay) and I am gonna open this up. 16 <and you> can look and see what is inside to put in our house. 17 c <the door op*>> 18 c (this {huh} those xx) xxx else to go on this? 19 = g is this something else to go on this? 20 e (um) look at that thing right beside you. 21 c (um) this go/*3s like this. 22 c (no). 23 c I think I have to put this together [p:mhm]. 24 c I can/n't do it. 25 c I need a little help. 26 e you need a little help? 27 e let me see.
28 e do you want look inside and see what kind of things we have for our house? 29 c like a fireplace you need. 30 e do you have a fireplace at your house? 32 = c really means yes. 33 c she might stick her hand in. 34 e {oh}. 35 c she/'s [concop] only one. 36 e {oh} she is? 37 c she/'s [concop] only oneandahalf [p:oh]. 38 c that/'s [concop] how old she is [unconcop]. 39 e do you like having a baby sister? 40 c yeah I want/ed a baby brother [p:oh]. 41 c you can/n't always get what you want <> always [p:mhm]. 42 e <that is right>. 43 c because^ 44 e do you just have one sister?
79 c twice. 80 e {oh} she cried twice both times when she got shots. 81 c {mm} I don't [d] know. 82 e why do you think she cried? 83 c because she/'s [concop] only oneandahalf. 84 e {oh uhhuh} did you cry when you were one and a half? 85 c yeah when I got [ptirr] a shot [p:mhm] because a really bad one [p:yeah]. 86 c my shot was [concop] right here. 87 e {oh} what happened? 88 e tell me about it? 89 c (um) they gave me a shot 90 c and I did/n't [d] [ptirr] cry [p:uhhuh] at all. 91 e yeah (well) that's good. 92 c {mhm}. 93 e I remember when I was your age, I used to go to the doctor. 94 e and I would hide from the doctors because I would hate to get shots.
95 e but I am not brave like you. 96 e you are <brave about> getting shots. 97 c <me too>. 98 c (I I) I do too. 99 e what do you do? 100 c hide. 101 e {oh} you hide sometimes when you go to the doctor? 102 e <I know how it is>. 103 c (ok) <I try> to be sneaky. 104 e {oh} where do you hide? 105 c (with) behind my mommy. 106 e {oh} yeah? 107 e and what do they say when you try to hide? 108 e what does your mommy tell you? 109 c I peek out [p:uhuh] really quick, (I) so quick they can/n't even see me again.
12 c what do [d] you wanna do? 13 e (well) we're going to play with this house. 14 c (yeah). 15 e (okay) and I am gonna open this up. 16 e <and you> can look and see what is inside to put in our house. 17 c <the door op*>> 18 c (this {huh} those xx) xxx else to go on this? 19 = g is this something else to go on this? 20 e (um) look at that thing right beside you. 21 c (um) this go/*3s like this. 22 c (no). 23 c I think I have to put this together [p:mhm]. 24 c I can/n't do it. 25 c I need a little help. 26 e you need a little help? 27 e let me see.
28 e do you want look inside and see what kind of things we have for our house? 29 c like a fireplace you need. 30 e do you have a fireplace at your house? 32 = c really means yes. 33 c she might stick her hand in. 34 e {oh}. 35 c she/'s [concop] only one. 36 e {oh} she is? 37 c she/'s [concop] only oneandahalf [p:oh]. 38 c that/'s [concop] how old she is [unconcop]. 39 e do you like having a baby sister? 40 c yeah I want/ed a baby brother [p:oh]. 41 c you can/n't always get what you want <> always [p:mhm]. 42 e <that is right>. 43 c because^ 44 e do you just have one sister?
79 c twice. 80 e {oh} she cried twice both times when she got shots. 81 c {mm} I don't [d] know. 82 e why do you think she cried? 83 c because she/'s [concop] only oneandahalf. 84 e {oh uhhuh} did you cry when you were one and a half? 85 c yeah when I got [ptirr] a shot [p:mhm] because a really bad one [p:yeah]. 86 c my shot was [concop] right here. 87 e {oh} what happened? 88 e tell me about it? 89 c (um) they gave me a shot. 90 c and I did/n't [d] [ptirr] cry [p:uhhuh] at all. 91 e yeah (well) that's good. 92 c {mhm}. 93 e I remember when I was your age, I used to go to the doctor. 94 e and I would hide from the doctors because I would hate to get shots.
95 e but I am not brave like you. 96 e you are <brave about> getting shots. 97 c <me too>. 98 c (I I) I do too. 99 e what do you do? 100 c hide. 101 e {oh} you hide sometimes when you go to the doctor? 102 e <I know how it is>. 103 c (ok) <I try> to be sneaky. 104 e {oh} where do you hide? 105 c (with) behind my mommy. 106 e {oh} yeah? 107 e and what do they say when you try to hide? 108 e what does your mommy tell you? 109 c I peek out [p:uhuh] really quick, (I) so quick they can/n't even see me again.
38 c that/'s [concop] how old she is [unconcop] [cs] [nrc]. There is no cognitive state verb; there is no head
noun. This is a nominal relative clause. This sentence structures is a common form for [nrc] – That is followed by an NRC. The nominal relative clause is a subject complement, according to Quirk et al.
41 c you can/n't always get what you want <> always [p:mhm] [cs] [nrc].Get requires a direct object, typically a noun (e.g., I
got the book). Here a nominal relative clause is in the direct object position. With a nominal relative clause, you should be able to restate it as a relative clause with a general noun, for example, you can’t always get the thing that you want.
67 c because (this that) [err] personname weigh/ed me I was [unconcop] like fortyfortypound/s [err] [cs] [sc] [sc].In this utterance, it is critical that the gloss (see on
slide 30 and repeated below) is examined when coding complex syntax.
68 = g because when (omitted) personname weighed me I was like forty pounds.Although only one subordinate conjunction is
apparent in the utterance, the gloss indicates that the other subordinate conjunction (i.e., when) was omitted (in error) by the child. Even though there is an error, we code complexity and simultaneously note the error.
83 c because she/'s [concop] only oneandahalf [cs] [sc].
[sc] is coded when there is only one clause with the subordinate conjunction (as with this utterances) as well as when there is the dependent clause along with the main clause (i.e., a complete sentence).
85 c yeah when I got [ptirr] a shot [p:mhm] because [err] a really bad one [p:yeah] [cs] [sc] [sc].This is another utterance where the gloss line is
important to get the right codes inserted. Unfortunately, the transcriber did not include a gloss for this utterance. So we’ll generate a hypothetical gloss
= g yeah when I got a shot because it was a really bad one We include two [sc] codes. One for the correctly
produced subordinate conjunction clause (when I got a shot) and one for the attempted subordinate conjunction clause in which the child omitted the subject and verb. This pattern might be found to be consistent – omitting clausal elements when attempting to produce dependent clauses.
109 c I peek out [p:uhuh] really quick, (I) so quick they can/n't even see me again [cs] [other].The complex syntax in this utterance does not
align with any of our categories. Based on Quirk et al., this complex syntax seems to be a sentential complement. We code it as [other]. Recall that very few of the complex syntax tokens in our research language samples have been assigned to the [other] category. This utterances is a great example to illustrate that our coding system does not capture all complex syntax produced by preschoolers, but it does capture the overwhelming majority.
In ConclusionAfter completing this practice, you should be
better able to determine the elements of a child utterance that make it complex.
You should also be better able to assign a complex syntax type (or types) to each child utterance.
Recognizing the presence of complex syntax is the first step, and with practice, you will be better able to both recognize and code complex syntax in child utterances!
Be sure to refer to Table 3 in Barako Arndt and Schuele (2013) and the complex syntax coding system in SDC as you continue to code!