• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.203-235
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• 2013

The goal of this paper is to test the findings about English-speaking children's acquisition of inflectional morphemes in the literature using a large-scale database. For this, we obtained a 4.7-million-word corpus from the CHILDES (Child Language Data Exchange System) database, and analyzed 1,630 British and American children's uses of English derivational morphemes up to age 7. We analyzed the type and token frequencies, type per token ratio (TTR), and the lexical diversity (D) for such inflectional morphemes as the present progressive -ing, the past tense -(e)d, the comparative and superlative -er/est with reference to children's nationality and age groups. To sum up our findings, the correlations between the D value and children's age varied from morpheme to morpheme; e.g. we found no correlation for -ing, a marginal correlation for -ed, and a strong correlation for -er/-est. Our findings are consistent with Brown's (1973) classical observation that children learn progressive forms earlier than the past tense marker. In addition, overgeneralization errors were frequently found for -ed, but rarely for -ing, showing a U-shaped developmental pattern at ages 2-3. Finally, American children showed higher D scores than British children, which showed that American children used inflectional morphemes for more word types compared with British children. The present study has its significance in testing the earlier findings in the literature by setting up well-defined methodology for analyzing the entire CHILDES database.

• Lingua Humanitatis
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.235-251
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• 2001

According to Chomskyan grammar, humans can generate and understand an unbounded number of grammatical sentences. Against the background of pure and idealized linguistic competence, this linguistic productivity is argued and understood. In actual utterances, however, there are many limitations of productivity but they are said to come from the general constraints on performances such as capacity of short term memory or attention. In this paper I discuss a problem raised against idealized productivity. I argue that linguistic productivity idealizes our linguistic competence too much. By separating idealized competence from the various constraints of performance, Chomskyan theorists can argue for unlimited productivity. However, the absolute distinction between grammar (pure competence) and parser (actual psychological processes) makes little sense when we explain the low acceptability(intelligibility) of center embedded sentences. Usually, the problem of center embedded sentence is explained in terms of memory shortage or other performance constraints. To explain the low acceptability, however, we need to assume specialized memory structure because the low acceptability occurs only with a specific type of syntactic pattern. 1 argue that this special memory structure should not be considered as a general performance constraint. It is a domain specific (specifically linguistic) constraints and an intrinsic part of human language processing. Recent development of Chomskyan grammar, i.e., minimalist approach seems to close the gap between pure competence and this type of specialized constraints. Chomsky's earlier approach of generative grammar focuses on end result of the generative derivation. However, economy principle (of minimalist approach) focuses on actual derivational processes. By having less mathematical or less idealized grammar, we can come closer to the actual computational processes that build syntactic structure of a sentence. In this way, we can have a more concrete picture of our linguistic competence, competence that is not detached from actual computational processes.

• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
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• no.36
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• pp.783-837
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• 2018

This study examines the lives and the performances of the people who participated in Songpa Sandae-nori(a korean traditional mask dance drama) before and after the designation as cultural heritage, and reviews the changes and the inheritance patterns of the mask dance which appeared in the lives of the performers. Chapter 2 reviewed previous debates about the derivational theory and the players of Songpa Sandae-nori before the flood in 1925, and discussed on awareness and the characteristics of the performers found through the review. Then the study went on to the inheritance patterns of the drama before the designation, focusing on the figures of Dolmari(a name of village in Songpa, Seoul) players who led the stage after 1925. As a result, the missing part of the activities and the lives of Dolmari performers have been more clearly identified, especially about Lee Beomman, Yeo taesan and Eum Joongeun(the main performers of Songpa Sandae-nori). Chapter 3 is about the inheritance patterns of the cultural heritage after the designation, and Heo Hoyoung was the main focus of the discussion. The researches so far have admitted his great contributions to the designation of cultural asset, although they have not proved how. After investigating various records and combining the testimonies of his students and locals, Heo Ho-young was found that he did not only gave plays of Songpa Sandae-nori but also actively engaged in the field of various traditional arts. Furthermore, jokes, dances, and masks left by him are considered to be evidences to reassess his performances.