A Case Study on the Acquisition of the Chinese Ditransitive Constructions

This research investigates a Chinese child’s acquisition process for the Chinese ditransitive constructions employing the natural observation method. It explores the controversial issue whether the acquisition of early abstract constructions is based on usage-based or rule-governed. The findings propose that the acquisition of early abstract constructions should be the interactive outcomes both the rule-governed and the usage-based. The former can be called internal factors and the latter can be called external factors. These two factors prompt for the acquisition of early abstract constructions