Afrikaanssprekende kinders se eerste vorm-betekenis-passings

Abstract

In Afrikaans is nog min navorsing gedoen oor hoe kinders hul eerste taal verwerf. Eerstetaalverwerwing kan beskryf word as die aanleer van die fonologie, morfologie, leksikon, sintaksis en semantiek (en pragmatiek) van 'n taal, sowel as die onderliggende abstrakte reëls wat met hierdie aspekte geassosieer word. Elke kind bemeester 'n vorm van elkeen van hierdie elemente (of grammatikale vlakke), dus kan aangeneem word dat sommige elemente universeel tot alle tale sal wees. Sommige aspekte is egter taalspesifiek, aangesien tale verskil wat grammatika en konteksspesifieke faktore betref. Teorie rakende universele aspekte kan egter aangewend word om sekere taalspesifieke aspekte wat 'n kind verwerf, toe te lig en te beskryf. Lieven (2010:92;103) dui 'n universele behoefte aan vir meer taalverwerwingstudies in 'n verskeidenheid tale en spesifiek navorsing rakende hoe vorm-betekenis-passings deur 'n kind gekonstrueer word vanuit die insette in verskillende kommunikatiewe kontekste. Dit verwys dus na hoe kinders in taalspesifieke kontekste vorm-betekenis-passings maak. Die term vorm-betekenis-passing verwys na die wyse waarop kinders 'n sekere betekenis op 'n sekere woordvorm (leksikale item) pas. Hierdie proses veronderstel 'n kognitiewe proses, aangesien 'n kind eers moet konseptualiseer en kategoriseer voordat 'n konsep op 'n sekere leksikale item gepas kan word. Vanuit 'n literatuuroorsig is dit duidelik dat geen linguistiese navorsing tot dusver uitgevoer is op Afrikaanse kinders se vorm-betekenis-passings nie, nog meer spesifiek op die ouderdom waartydens eerste leksikale items gebruik word. Nog 'n leemte in studies oor Afrikaanse eerstetaalverwerwing is die gebruik van oorspronklike linguistiese data wat as voorbeeld van hierdie taalvorm kan dien. Die navorsingsvraag van hierdie studie is derhalwe: Hoe maak jong Afrikaanse kinders (tussen die ouderdom van agt en 24 maande) hul eerste vorm-betekenis-passings (dus wanneer hulle hul eerste leksikale items begin gebruik)? Ten einde hierdie vraag te beantwoord, is twee hoofnavorsingsdoelstellings geformuleer. Eerstens om 'n geskikte teoretiese raamwerk aan te wend wat Afrikaanse kinders se eerste vorm-betekenis-passings optimaal kan beskryf; en tweedens om geskikte data in te samel en te analiseer om sodoende afleidings te maak oor hoe vorm-betekenis-passings deur kinders wat begin om hul eerste woorde te sê, gemaak word. Data van 21 Afrikaanssprekende kinders tussen die ouderdom van agt en 24 maande wat hul eerste leksikale items gebruik, is derhalwe in hierdie studie geanaliseer om te bepaal hoe vorm-betekenis-passings gemaak word. Gedurende die ondersoekstydperk van vyf maande het die kinders se ouers hul eerste leksikale items, sowel as die kontekste waarin dit gebruik word, gedokumenteer. Studies oor eerstetaalverwerwing word grotendeels uitgevoer vanuit een van twee teenoorstaande benaderings, naamlik empirisisme en rasionalisme. Hierdie studie volg 'n empirisistiese benadering, aangesien hierdie benadering die proses waardeur kinders betekenis vanuit hul omgewings onttrek, in berekening bring. Teoretiese aannames van die gebruiksgebaseerde teorieë, tesame met aannames vanuit die kognitiewe linguistiek, word gebruik in die beskrywing van die taaldata van die betrokke Afrikaanse kinders. Die teoretiese raamwerk wat vanuit die gebruiksgebaseerde teorieë en kognitiewe linguistiek gekies is om die kinders se vorm-betekenis-passings optimaal te kan beskryf, bestaan uit kognitiewe modelle en prosesse soos die prototipemodel van kategorisering, metonimie, metaforiek, beeldskemas en konseptuele versmelting. Hierdie modelle en prosesse kan 'n hulpmiddel wees in die beskrywing van die wyse waarop kinders konsepte struktureer en kategoriseer voor dit aan leksikale items geheg word. Die data dui in die eerste plek twee hooftipes vorm-betekenis-passings aan, naamlik simplekse passings en komplekse passings. Met 'n simplekse passing is die konseptualiseringsproses meer gekonvensionaliseerd, alhoewel 'n aantal funksies deur een leksikale item (wat ook bekendstaan as holofrastiese struktuur) verteenwoordig kan word. 'n Komplekse passing word gemaak wanneer die konseptualiseringsproses verdere beskrywing en analise verg ten einde voldoende geïnterpreteer te kan word. Die komplekse passings kan nog verder verdeel word in twee tipes passings, naamlik metaforiese passing (wat nie algemeen in die data voorkom nie) en metonimiese passing. Verder kan 'n metonimiese passing gedifferensieer word as DEEL VIR GEHEEL, GEHEEL VIR DEEL of DEEL VIR DEEL. Hierdie tipes passings verskaf meer inligting oor hoe die kinders vorm en betekenis op mekaar pas. Aannames vanuit die teoretiese raamwerk, soos kategorisering volgens die prototipemodel, beeldskemas en konseptuele versmelting word aangewend in die beskrywing van hierdie tipes passings ten einde die konseptualiseringsproses beter te kan verstaan. Little research has been done on how Afrikaans children acquire their first language. The acquisition of a first language can be described as becoming proficient in the phonology, lexicon, syntax and semantics (and pragmatics) of a language, as well as mastering the underlying abstract rules associated with these aspects. Each child should master a form of each of these elements (or grammatical levels), therefore one can assume that some elements will be universal to all languages. However, some aspects will be language specific seeing that languages differ with regard to grammar and context specific factors. Universal theories can however be used to describe and enlighten certain language specific aspects a child acquires. Lieven (2010:92;103) indicates a universal need for more language acquisition studies in a variety of languages and especially research on how form-meaning mappings are construed by children from the input in different communicative situations, therefore how children make form-meaning mappings in particular language specific contexts. The term form-meaning mapping refers to the way in which children pair certain meanings with certain word forms (lexical items). This process suggests a cognitive process, considering that a child has to conceptualise and categorise concepts in order to associate it with a certain lexical item. A literature review revealed that no linguistic research has been conducted on Afrikaans children's form-meaning mappings, especially on Afrikaans children at the age at which they begin to perform their first lexical items. Another research void in studies conducted on Afrikaans language acquisition is the use of original linguistic data which can serve as example of this language form. The research question of this study therefore is: How do young Afrikaans children (between the ages of eight and 24 months) make their first form-meaning mappings (thus when starting to use their first lexical items)? To answer this research question, two main research goals were formulated: Firstly to select a suitable theoretical framework to optimally describe Afrikaans children's first form-meaning mappings; and secondly to analyse a suitable data set in order to make conclusions on how form-meaning mappings are made by the children starting to use their first words. Therefore, data from 21 Afrikaans speaking children between the ages of eight and 24 months using their first lexical items was analysed for the purpose of this study in order to determine the types of form-meaning mappings these children make. During the investigation period of five months, the children's parents recorded their children's first lexical items and also indicated the contexts in which the lexical items were used. Studies on first language acquisition are usually carried out from one of two opposite approaches, namely empiricism and rationalism. This study followed an empiricist approach considering that this approach accounts for the process in which children extract meaning from their linguistic environments. Theoretical assumptions from the usage-based theories, and together with that cognitive linguistics, were used in the description of the language data of the particular Afrikaans children. The theoretical framework chosen from the usage-based theory and cognitive linguistics in order to optimally describe the children's form-meaning mappings, consists of cognitive models and processes such as the prototype model of categorisation, metonymy, metaphor, image schemas and conceptual blending. These models and processes can aid a description of the way in which the children structure and categorise concepts before linking it to lexical items. Results firstly reveal two main types of form-meaning mappings, namely simplex mappings and complex mappings. With a simplex mapping, the conceptualisation process is more conventionalised, although a number of functions can be represented by one lexical item (also known as holophrastic structure). A complex mapping is made when the conceptualisation process needs more description and analysis in order to be fully interpreted. The complex mappings can further be divided into two types of mappings, namely metaphoric mapping (not that common in the data) and metonymic mapping. Furthermore, the metonymic mappings can be differentiated into PART FOR WHOLE, WHOLE FOR PART or PART FOR PART. These types of mappings provide more information on how the children map meaning onto form. Assumptions from the theoretical framework, such as categorisation according to the prototype model, image-schemas and conceptual blending were used in the description of these types of mappings in order to understand the conceptualisation process better