Syntax

Timing

 * 16 months – distinguish grammatical from ungrammatical function morphemes (Lust, B. 2006:193)
 * 11 months – distinguished passages with modified and unmodified function words (Lust, B. 2006:193)
 * 18 months – can track relationships between function morphemes (Lust, B. 2006:193)
 * In early stages of development, frequently omit inversion of subject & verb, signalling a question with rising intonation only (the skunk was black? Instead of Was the skunk black?) (Klima & Bellugi, 1973) (Goodluck, H. 2001:34)


 * Emergence of directives (Halliday, 1975) (Stilwell-Peccei, 2006:31 (e44))
 * 1;3 – 2;0 – telegraphic directives. That mine. Gimme. More cookie.
 * 2;0 – 2;4 – Limited routines: Where's my X/What's that?/Is there X?/I need X (all meaning "Give me X".)
 * 2;4 – 3;8 – Embedded requests: Can I have big boy shoes? Could you give me one?
 * 3;8 – 5;7 – Advanced embedding: Don't forget to buy candy. Why don't you buy some candy?
 * 2;5 – 4+ – Hints: I can`t do it, Daddy (ie "Do it for me").
 * 4+ – Elaborate oblique strategies (desire mentioned): we haven`t had any candy for a long time
 * 5+ – Elaborate oblique strategies (desire not mentioned): an example of this would be Sophie`s Machiavellian approach in the Ì`ve got a headache`conversation above. It is only under questioning from her mother that she reveals her real reason for asking for cucumber for lunch