Journal Paper Published

Abstract

This study aimed to explore how classifier-based semantic skills and frequency of classifier input affect the learning of Mandarin shape classifiers among Mandarin-speaking children. A novel classifier learning task was developed, which allowed the examination of the influences of semantic skills and input frequency within the same task. Two novel classifiers were invented, each encoding distinct shape features not present in any real Mandarin classifiers. Typically-developing monolingual Mandarin-speaking children, including younger children (3–5 years old, n = 73) and older children (6–8 years old, n = 87), and adult controls (n = 62) completed the task. A learning phase was implemented immediately followed by a testing phase, assessing both production and comprehension of the two novel classifiers. Results showed that children and adults employed both the semantic strategy and the frequency strategy, while the weighting of these two interrelated strategies changed across ages. In particular, older participants showed more skilled semantic extraction and generalization related to classifiers than younger participants. Younger children were more likely to use input frequency to assist their learning of novel classifiers, which could be attributed to an immature development of semantic skills for classifiers. With developed semantic skills, adults may be able to extract the semantic features even with a low dosage of classifier input; as a result, the effect of frequency was not found for adults at the group level. Despite the overall tendency regarding the roles of semantic skills and input frequency in development, individual differences emerged within each age group, revealing varying degrees of use of the semantic or the frequency strategy.