Analyzing Gianna’s level of syntactic/morphological development and communicative competence

Use evidence from Gianna’s speech sample at the end of this document to answer the
following questions. Answers to the 4 questions should be reported in a single document and
submitted on Canvas by 11:59 p.m. on 11/13/2020. See the sample assignment for reference.
Using the same words and sentences from the sample assignment (even if substituting
numbers and examples) will be considered plagiarism and will result in a 0 grade.
MORPHO-SYNTACTIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Calculate Gianna’s MLU, say in what stage of grammatical development she is, and whether
   this is appropriate for her age. Give examples of utterances with different morphemes and
   show that you can count them.
2. What type of sentences does Gianna produce? Are there more declaratives, negatives, or
   questions in the sample? Are there complex sentences at all?
   DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
3. Describe Gianna’s conversational skills. In particular, is she providing contingent, noncontingent or imitative responses? Who is doing the topic initiations and how? And how is
   s/he repairing miscommunications? Provide and interpret examples.
4. Are there examples of situationally-appropriate language? Provide and interpret examples.
   IMPORTANT TIPS

• Calculate MLU following the detailed instructions given in the lecture.
• Give actual numbers of declarative, negative sentences etc. Do not just say “most
  sentences are declarative.”
• Pay close attention to the definition of declarative sentences (these must minimally
  have a verb and a subject; “yes”, or “the black cat” are not declarative sentences) and
  of complex sentences (these must have two verbs and two clauses, not just be long!)
• Discuss your findings integrating information from the textbook and the lecture
  materials.
• Refer to Sample Assignment 2 to see what is expected
  IMPORTANT TIPS
• Provide actual examples of conversational turns and interpret them; do not just copy
  and paste entire segments of your transcription without explaining the exchange.
• Use the terminology learned in the course to discuss the child’s conversational or
  narrative skills.
• Discuss your findings integrating information from the textbook and the lecture
  materials.
  Rubrics for grading this assignment:
  Is the student’s analysis for morpho-syntactic development accurate and complete with examples?
  Minimally – 1 point Partially – 2.5 points Fully – 5 points
  Is the student’s analysis for communicative competence accurate and complete with examples?
  Minimally – 1 point Partially – 2.5 points Fully – 5 points
  Is the writing free of grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors and does it demonstrate effective
  communication?
  Minimally – 1 point Partially – 2.5 points Fully – 5 points
  TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 15
  Gianna’s Speech Sample
  Gianna is a 34-month-old girl and the youngest of four children. Her oldest brother is 14, and the one
  nearest in age to her is 10, and so she has many competent language users available to her. The family is
  Asian American; however, only English is spoken in the household as both parents are second generation
  American born Chinese. Gianna’s mother is a high school English teacher with a master’s degree, while
  her father is a USC graduate who manages several apartments and stays home with his daughter. The
  family can be considered middle class. Presently, Gianna is not attending preschool, but she will begin as
  soon as she turns 3.
  The recording, by a digital recorder, took place in Gianna’s home in order to maintain a comfortable,
  familiar atmosphere with the hopes that it would encourage the most natural responses from the child.
  The interview took place on a Monday afternoon while Gianna’s mother, father and one brother were at
  home, and it lasted for 45 minutes.
  The recording was then transcribed by the interviewer, using the following abbreviations to denote the
  participants: CHI (child), INT (interviewer), MOT (mother), DAD (father), and BRO (brother). /Slashes/
  indicate phonological processes, that is, how the child actually pronounced certain words. Only 100 of the
  child’s utterances were transcribed for evaluation purposes.
  Mom, dad, and Tom (brother) are all at home preoccupied with their own activities. Gianna is eating a
  chicken drumstick by herself while watching TV.

1. CHI: What you doing?
   INT: I just wanna see you talk.
   MOT: What’s Tom doing?
2. CHI: Take a picture Tom.
   INT: No.
3. CHI: Yes.
   INT: I’m not taking pictures. I’m making a video.
4. CHI: I don’t /wan/ “want” /bideo/ “video.”
   INT: What’d you say?
5. CHI: I don’t /wan/ “want” /bideo/ “video.”
   INT: You don’t want video?
6. CHI: No.
   FAT: Where’s my handicap placard?
7. CHI: Some of my dad’s missing.
   INT: Some of your dad’s what?
8. CHI: Missing.
   INT: Missing what?
9. CHI: Be quiet /dere/ “there.”
   INT: Who?
10. CHI: You.
    INT: Why?
11. CHI: Leave me /lone/ “alone.”
    INT: You?
12. CHI: Yes.
    INT: Ok. I’m just watching TV.
13. CHI: You’re not.
    INT: Yeah.
    Gianna gets up from her seat and walks to get a better look at interviewer’s recording device.
14. CHI: Are you watching a /bideo/ “video?”
    INT: No, I’m making a video. Can you just eat your chicken? Hey, do you wanna go to
    school with Tom?
    Gianna shakes her head.
    Why not?
15. CHI: I’m not /bigga/ “bigger” yet.
    INT: What?
16. CHI: I’m not /bigga/ “bigger” yet.
    Gianna continues to eat the chicken and grimaces while chewing a piece.
    INT: Ok. Is that bone?
17. CHI: No.
    INT: You know what that’s called?
18. CHI: I /don/ “don’t” know.
    INT: That’s called ‘cartilage.’ Can you say ‘cartilage?’
19. CHI: I’m eating it!
    INT: Cartilage? It’s yummy, huh? I like it.
20. CHI: Me too.
    INT: You know who else likes it?
21. CHI: Hm?
    INT: You know who else likes cartilage? Spartacus. (Spartacus is the dog.)
22. CHI: Yummy. Anymore?
    INT: Anymore cartilage?
23. CHI: Yeah.
    INT: You find it.
24. CHI: I /dink/ “think” /iss/ “it’s” in /hewe/ “here.” No!
    INT: Just eat it. Is it meat? Don’t eat the bone.
25. CHI: /Car der lidge/ “Cartilage!”
    INT: Good job. K, if it’s too hard, don’t eat it. Cartilage is soft.
26. CHI: Hm?
    INT: If it’s too hard, don’t eat it. Cartilage is soft.
27. CHI: /Iss/ “it’s” soft.
    INT: Ok. Only Sparticus can eat the bone.
28. CHI: I’m not eating /dis/ “this” one.
29. CHI: I’m /jus/ “just” /holdin/ “holding” /car da lidge/ “cartilage.”
    INT: Good girl.
    Father coughs in the next room.
    Are you still coughing like your dad?
    Gianna nods her head.
    What’s gonna make it better?
30. CHI: Juicy.
    INT: Tell your dad, ‘Drink juice.’
31. CHI: He’s Coke /wid/ “with” /dat/ “that.”
    INT: He drinks Coke with that?
32. CHI: Yeah.
    INT: He’s never gonna get better.
33. CHI: If he drink lot of Coke, I… Hey, /get/ “guess” what? I found it!
    INT: What is that?
34. CHI: Mango.
    The child says “mango” but it’s actually a papaya.
    INT: No! That’s not mango. What did I teach you that was?
35. CHI: I’m eating mango!!
    INT: It’s papaya! Are you still hungry?
36. CHI: No.
    INT: But you still have meat.
37. CHI: I /don/ “don’t” want it.
    MOT: Let’s go wash your hands.
    Mother takes Gianna to wash her hands.
38. CHI: Hey! Tom is watching a /bideo/ “video” in his room!
    INT: He’s watching Spiderman.
39. CHI: I want to watch Cinderella’s /bideo/!
    MOT: We’ll do it later, OK?
    Gianna dries her hands and runs back out to the living room where her plate and juice remain at the
    table.
40. CHI: I /wan/ “want” some /fine/ “find” /da/ “the” bone.
    MOT: Oh, you found the bone?
    Gianna sips juice, runs to the sink, and spits it out.
    INT: Hey, mama’s gonna get mad you.
41. CHI: No, mama not.
    Gianna runs to her room and hides behind toy bins.
42. CHI: I /wan/ “want” Tom make my /seeket/ “secret” hide-out dark.
    INT: You want Tom to make your secret hide-out dark? Ask him again.
43. CHI: Tom! I /wan/ “want” you make my /seeket/ “secret” hide-out dark.
    INT: What’s the magic word?
44. CHI: Please, Tom.
    BRO: What?
    MOT: Can Auntie Carrie make it for you?
45. CHI: Yes.
    INT: Like this?
    Interviewer drapes blanket over bins.
46. CHI: Try /an/ “and” /fine/ “find” me.
    INT: I can’t make it stay. Wait.
47. CHI: Try /an/ “and” /fine/ “find” me!
    INT: I know where you are!
    Blanket falls off the toy bins hiding Gianna.
48. CHI: It fell down! It fell down!
    INT: Don’t move. Don’t move it.
    Gianna comes out from behind the bins with toy medical instruments.
49. CHI: Sick.
    INT: Who is?
50. CHI: You.
    INT: No.
    Gianna puts toys down and reaches to grab interviewer’s recording device.
51. CHI: Is /dat/ “that” your /cara/ “camera?”
    INT: Who is that?
    Interviewer points to camera screen capturing image of Gianna’s brother and shows Gianna.
52. CHI: I /don/ “don’t” know.
    INT: Who is that?
53. CHI: I /don/ “don’t” know.
    INT: Yes, you know who that is.
    Gianna continues to grab at camera while interviewer keeps it out of reach.
54. CHI: I know what’s to do!
    INT: You can’t. It’s your dad’s. You can’t touch it.
    Gianna runs towards her bedroom.
55. CHI: /Dat’s/ “That’s” my… /Dat’s/ “That’s” my police station. I can take you /dewe/
    “there.”
    INT: Where is your police station?
56. CHI: /Pollow/ “Follow” me!
    INT: Where are you going?
57. CHI: /Goin/ “Going” to my police station!
    Interviewer inquires about a toy box nearby.
    INT: What’s inside there? You were gonna show me.
58. CHI: /Dat’s/ “that’s” your surprise storage.
    INT: That’s my surprise what?
59. CHI: Storage.
    INT: Storage.
60. CHI: Yes.
    INT: Where’d you get that?
61. CHI: /Fom/ “From” my room.
    INT: From who?
62. CHI: /Fom/ “From” my room.
    INT: My room? I don’t have a room here.
    BRO: Yeah, you do. Because you’re part of our family.
63. CHI: Ah… /Booga/ “Booger” family.
    INT: Booger family? What’s going on here?
    Gianna attempts to squeeze into the same seat as the interviewer.
64. CHI: Move it.
    INT: No, watch this.
65. CHI: I /don/ “don’t” want to watch.
    INT: Watch. Look at Tom.
66. CHI: What?
    INT: You see him?
67. CHI: Let’s, let’s, let’s close it because he’s not gonna watch.
    Gianna attempts to press button on interviewer’s camera.
    INT: No, I’m watching.
68. CHI: Can I play /wit/ “with” your phone?
    INT: No. Let me do this.
69. CHI: /Weady/ “Ready!”
    INT: I don’t have games.
70. CHI: I’m /jus/ “just” playing.
    INT: Ok, press that one. See and then the light comes on.
71. CHI: Uh, I want to /jus/ “just” work.
    INT: It doesn’t work. It’s just a phone. It doesn’t have games like mama’s phone.
72. CHI: Let me check /da/ “the…”
    Gianna wraps interviewer’s cell phone in a ToysRUs advertisement.
    INT: What? You wanna check the newspaper?
73. CHI: Wait. Wait. Wait.
    INT: What are you doing? What am I waiting for?
    Gianna puts the cell phone and advertisement on the table and runs to her mother in the kitchen.
74. CHI: Mama, can I have candy?
    MOT: No.
75. CHI: Why?
76. CHI: Wait. I /wan/ “want” Auntie Carrie to stop record /dis/ “this.”
77. CHI: Stop it.
    Gianna runs back to interviewer from the kitchen.
78. CHI: You have to come /wit/ “with” me to look it.
79. CHI: Come to look it.
    INT: Going to where?
80. CHI: Look it.
    INT: Look it?
81. CHI: No. We’s… We’re going to my Lookit’s house!
    INT: Your Lookit’s house?
    Father puts on a movie per brother’s request.
    INT: What are we watching? “Pitch Perfect?”
82. CHI: Mommy?
83. CHI: Can I have /pockorn/ “popcorn?”
    MOT: Yes.
84. CHI: Do you have Tom /bideo/ “video” of him doing /dis/ “this” taking picture of me?
85. CHI: Take it.
    INT: I have it on my phone. My old phone.
86. CHI: Where your /ole/ “old” phone?
    INT: At my house.
    Gianna is fixated on the movie playing and sings along with the introduction.
87. CHI: Blah blah rab da dab dab da!
88. CHI: I’m a funny face!
    Brother and I laugh. Gianna dances to the music from the TV.
89. CHI: I’m a funny face!
90. CHI: I’m a funny face!
91. CHI: I’m a funny face!
92. CHI: I’m a funny face!
    Gianna eats the popcorn her mother brings her.
93. CHI: /Is/ “It’s” hard.
94. CHI: Bone!
    INT: No, no, no. Not bone. Kernel. Look it. She’s gonna sing. Ready?
95. CHI: One. Two. /Tree/ “Three.” Four. Five.
    Girl on TV throws up.
96. CHI: Ew!
97. CHI: No more?
    INT: No more throw up.
98. CHI: Watch.
    Gianna dances to the music from the TV and continues to eat her popcorn.
99. CHI: /Wan/ “Want” some?
    INT: No, thanks. Ok, maybe just one. You pick one. Thanks.
    MOT: Hey, Auntie Carrie said thanks. What do you say?
    100.CHI: Welcome.
    The assignment is graded INDIVIDUALLY, meaning each student is graded based on her/his
    own answers, not his/her partner’s. Rubrics for grading this assignment:
    Is the student’s analysis for morphological/syntactic development accurate and complete with
    examples?
    Minimally – 1 point Partially – 2.5 points Fully – 5 points
    Is the student’s analysis for communicative competence accurate and complete with examples?
    Minimally – 1 point Partially – 2.5 points Fully – 5 points
    Is the writing free of grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors and does it demonstrate
    effective communication?