Productivity of verb inflections in Bangla-speaking pre-school children

Abstract

This study attempts to find out the productivity of verb inflections of Bangla speaking preschool children. It focuses on the spontaneous speech samples of 30 children aged 2 to 4, to explore the developmental sequence of verb inflectional productivity. In order to do so, it showcases the findings in both the cases of verb productivity and inflectional productivity, by applying particular productivity criteria. This research further identifies that the children follow an item-based approach, in terms of acquiring verb inflections. The findings, thus can guide through the future studies, especially those dealing with child language development in Bangla. The researcher has tried to figure out the answers of these questions: a) Whether children have a productive approach in terms of acquiring verb inflections? To illustrate, do children learn following item-based approach? (Tomasello, 2000a) b) What is the nature of productivity in Bangla-speaking children aged 2 to 4, in case of acquiring verb inflections?