Subject: reduplication in child language acquisition and foreigner talk , etc .

in conducting a study of derivational morphology in creole languages , i have been investigating the origins of reduplication in the same . specifically , i am trying to determine whether it is best to explain the form and / or meaning of reduplicated structures in creoles in terms of the influence of substrate languages or in terms of the effect of language universals , or both . it has been suggested that data from child language acquisition studies may shed light on the question . also , data regarding " baby talk " and " foreigner talk " ( i . e talk by adults to children and non-native speakers , respectively ) may help in determining the extent to which reduplication in creoles should be explained in terms of language universals . additionally , the patterns of use of reduplication by adult second language learners in theirnon-native language ( s ) may also prove useful . thus , i would greatly appreciate any information you can give me ( by way of data , descriptions , references , etc . ) regarding the following questions : 1 . is reduplication a universal feature of children 's speech , baby talk , or foreigner talk cross-linguistically ? any examples ? 2 . where reduplication is indeed a feature of the above-mentioned speech varieties , what semantics are associated with the reduplicated forms ? specifically , is reduplication used as a category-changing operation , or is it used only in a modificatory way ( e . g . diminutivization , augmentation , etc . ) with no category change effected on the words to which it applies ? 3 . where reduplication is a feature of the above-mentioned speech varieties , what phonological form does it take ? i . e is total reduplication the rule ( e . g . " the tiny tiny mouse ' ) ? or is total reduplication with modification ( e . g . " teeny-weeny " ) what we find ? or do we find partial reduplication of one kind or another , in which only syllables or parts of syllables are reduplicated ? andy saperstein adsap @ ling . ohio-state . edu ohio state university
