Ungureanu, M.
Universite de Moncton, Canada
This presentation centers on the default setting of the Accusative Clitic Doubling (henceforth [ACD]) parameter in first language acquisition, by considering data from Romanian, a [+ACD] language. [+ACD] is a syntactic phenomenon that allows/requires certain overt and covert direct object Determiner Phrases (DPs) to be co-indexed with a pronominal clitic within the same clause (IP). Conversely, in [-ACD] languages (e.g. French), only covert DPs in direct object position may be co-indexed with a pronominal clitic (IP-internally). I adopt the syntactic analysis proposed in Sportiche (1993), according to whom accusative pronominal clitics are functional categories that head their own functional projection. Furthermore, following the Full Competence Hypothesis (FCH), I assume that functional categories (including clitics) are present in the child?s grammar from the beginning. The results of this preliminary study suggest that the default value of the [ACD] parameter is the [-ACD] value, while the [+ACD] value is acquired subsequently, most probably on the basis of positive evidence. As predicted by the hypothesis tested, in the early stages of L1 acquisition, children entertain the [-ACD] parameter: even those learning a [+ACD] language. This pilot experiment was designed to investigate the acquisition process of the [+ACD] value; thus, children at different stages of acquisition and adult control participants were tested. Two tasks were used to test the ACD values: an elicited production task and an imitation task, both of which attempt to minimize complexity from modules other than syntax. The study concludes that, in the process of L1 acquisition of [ACD], the default value is [-] and provides further evidence for the presence of functional categories in the earlier stages of L1 acquisition. The results of this study also raise questions regarding the necessity, or lack thereof, for binary features in the representation of certain syntactic parameters, as opposed to privative features.