Three- and four-year-olds' comprehension of tense and aspect in finite and non-finite embedded clauses

Abstract

In this study we ask whether children understand the temporal properties of tense & aspect in nonfinite embedded clauses. Prior work has found early comprehension of tense/aspect markers in finite (tensed) clauses. Nonfinite clauses, which lack overt tense (e.g., "I want to run"), have not yet been in comprehension. In our experiment, children are introduced to identical twin bears doing an obstacle course, Bobby and Freddy, and are given clues by Daisy such as “I expect Bobby {to hop (future)/to have hopped (past)} over the pond.” Children were shown pictures of zones in the course with a bear on either side of an obstacle and then asked to identify Bobby. Past orientation was indicated by perfect aspect. Future orientation was indicated by an infinitive (nonfinite clauses) or is gonna (finite clauses). results indicate that for sentences with finite embedded clauses, children from both age groups distinguish past from future trials, picking the bear after the obstacle for past and before the obstacle for future. In nonfinite embedded clause trials, children understand past but not future orientation. They interpret the perfect aspect as marking the past, but did not consistently interpret bare infinitives as future-oriented. Desire verbs (want, need) and root modals (desire/obligation: e.g., You must do your work) are typically future-oriented, while belief verbs (think, know) and epistemic modals (e.g., It must be raining) vary. Temporal orientation has been proposed to help acquisition of the belief/desire and root/epistemic splits. If children don’t understand embedded infinitives as future-oriented, temporal orientation may not be an accessible cue for desire and root modals.