Minimalist inquiries into child and adult language acquisition

More about the book

This volume compiles chapters by specialists from North America, Europe, and Brazil, featuring original research on the acquisition of both first language (L1) and second/third languages (L2 or L3) in dialects of Brazilian and European Portuguese. It emphasizes studies that explore empirical and theoretical aspects of syntax acquisition and its interfaces with morphology, semantics/pragmatics, and language change. While there are various works on the acquisition of other languages within the generative paradigm, none focus specifically on Portuguese, making this collection timely and necessary. Portuguese is the second most widely spoken Romance language and the seventh most spoken language globally. The significant changes between Brazilian and European Portuguese since the 19th century further enhance the relevance of studying these dialects, offering valuable insights into the relationships among linguistic theory, language acquisition, and language change. This collection of high-quality articles underscores the importance of researching the acquisition of the Portuguese language within the broader field of linguistic inquiry.