A study on the acquisition of shape classifiers by Mandarin-speaking children

Abstract

This study investigates the acquisition of shape classifiers in Mandarin Chinese through a longitudinal analysis of spontaneous speech from two typically developing children. Despite individual differences, both children exhibited similar developmental patterns in the structural and functional use of classifiers. The findings reveal a three-stage developmental trajectory—emergence, expansion, and stabilization—characterized by increasing accuracy, diversification of co-occurrence patterns, and the gradual extension of classifier functions from basic counting to categorization, referential identification, and pragmatic marking of definiteness. Furthermore, analysis of error patterns, including substitution with the general classifier gè, overgeneralization, and semantic mismatches, highlights the interplay between input frequency and cognitive development in the acquisition process. Drawing on the usage-based framework, this study proposes a triadic input model that integrates linguistic form, communicative function, and contextual usage as the driving mechanism of classifier acquisition. These findings demonstrate that classifier acquisition is a dynamic process shaped by perceptual experience, linguistic input, and discourse context, offering empirical evidence for understanding the development of early Mandarin classifiers and important implications for instructional strategies in Mandarin classifier teaching.