Comprehension of Negation in Child and Adult Speakers of Spanish and German (C06)

• Subject Area: General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages ; Individual Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 509468465

Our project investigates the assumption that cross-linguistic differences in the morphosyntactic expression of negation can lead to differences in how negation is processed and acquired in typologically different languages. Specifically, we compare negation in German and Spanish: in Spanish, the surface position of the negator is early in the sentence, before the finite verb. In German, the negator appears late and after the finite verb. Moreover, sentential negation in Spanish is restricted to one, preverbal, position, whereas the sentential negator in German may appear in different surface positions. We examine whether these cross-linguistic differences affect adult comprehension and child acquisition.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1629: Negation in language and beyond (NegLaB)
• Applicant Institution: Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main
• Project Heads: Professorin Sol Lago, Ph.D., since 1/2024; Professorin Dr. Esther Rinke, since 1/2024; Professorin Dr. Petra Schulz, since 1/2024