This research project targets noun-noun combinations produced by children in the two-word stage of language acquisition. Methodology: We intend to monitor the production of 16 Italian children from 1;7 to 2;1 (Calambrone, D’Odorico, Klammler, Roma and Tonelli corpora, CHILDES). After isolating a sufficient number of NNCs, we aim to perform a three-steps analysis: i) conceptual/semantic: each NNC has to be labeled on the basis of which semantic relation links the two nouns; ii) syntactic: for each NNC we indicate whether it is an instance of a head+modifier or modifier+head schema; iii) phonological: the prosodic contour of the utterance is studied with specific attention to the presence of pauses and properties of the main stress. Main Goal: we wish to disentangle the factors at play in the production of such noun utterances and shed light on the emergence of syntax at very early stages of language acquisition. Participants: Chiara Melloni (Università di Verona) & Jacopo Torregrossa (Università di Verona / Università di Cologna) Funding: FUR (Fondo dipartimentale Unico per la Ricerca), con previsione di spesa di circa 1500 euro per partecipazione a convegni.
