Relative clauses in Down Syndrome: evidence from the Greek language
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36505/ExLing-2022/13/0006/000548Keywords:
Down Syndrome, Relative clauses, Language development, Delay hypothesisAbstract
The aim of the present study is to investigate the comprehension and production of Relative Clauses (RCs) by a group of Greek-speaking individuals with Down Syndrome and their mental age-matched peers. The possible asymmetry in performance between Subject-Gap (SG) and Object-Gap (OG) relatives was also examined, and an error analysis was conducted. The results indicated that individuals with Down Syndrome encounter difficulties in both comprehending and producing RCs compared to Typically Developing Children (TDC), and that both groups performed significantly better in SG than in OG relatives and presented the same pattern of error types. The same pattern of performance observed supports the hypothesis that language development in Down Syndrome could be characterized as more delayed than deviant.
References
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