The SYNTAX section of the
DELV: Theory and Examples
Thomas Roeper
UMass, Amherst
roeper@linguist.umass.edu
Barbara Z. Pearson
UMass, Amherst
bpearson@comdis.umass.edu
*supported by NIH grant N01-DC-8-2104
to the University of Massachusetts and Smith College
*webpage:
www.umass.edu/aae/
The DELV SYNTAX Domain
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Focuses on a few core concepts of
modern syntax
Introduces elements of complexity
(to reveal hidden knowledge)
From these principles, we make the following
predictions/claims:
1. A new range of higher level disorders
come into view.
2. These disorders are particularly pertinent
to school-level tasks.
Components of The DELV
SYNTAX Domain
Question Type
WH-QUESTION
COMPREHENSION
PASSIVES
ARTICLES
Core Concepts
Variables
Movement
Movement
Hidden properties
Discourse properties
(something in a prior sentence making
requirements on an element in a
subsequent sentence)
Core CONCEPT #1 IN SYNTAX on
the DELV
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I. Principles of MOVEMENT
Simple:
“I saw a boy, a girl, and a dog.” =>
“What did I see ( - ) ?”
Complex:
What did she say she saw ( - )?
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Does the child get complex
movement right?
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Core Syntactic Concept #1 on the
DELV (con’t)
Does the child know…
1. Where the WH word originates
 What did he eat ( - )?
 When did she say ( - ) she lost her purse (- )?
2. When certain structures "block" certain meanings:
Ex. When did she say how she lost her purse?
can only mean "when did she SAY it”
not “When did she lose it?”
Core Syntactic CONCEPT #2 on the DELV
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II. VARIABLES
(words that are intended to refer not to a single
referent, but to members of a set)
Examples:
Simple Question (1 variable)
. (“I saw a boy, a girl, and a dog.”)
“What did I see?”
“what” = set of objects (boy, girl, dog)
“Who was at dinner?”
“who” = the 5 or 6 individuals at dinner
Core Syntactic CONCEPT #2 on the DELV
(con’t)
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II. b. Complex Variables
2 variables in the same sentence:
“who bought what?” requires reference
to all the members in the 2 sets in an
ordered relation:
Person 1 bought Thing 1
Person 2 bought Thing 2
Does the child get variable properties
right?
Core Syntactic CONCEPT #2 on the DELV
(con’t)
Does the child know how to answer Double WHquestions:
Who ate what?
How did she play what?
 Requires “set” answers to BOTH questions
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(he and she, chocolate and vanilla)
 Not just listed, but PAIRED.
Ex. HE ate CHOCOLATE, and SHE ate VANILLA.
Testing Complex WH-Question
Comprehension
We test this:
1) Can children answer both parts of a double-WH?
2) Can children answer questions whose site of origin
is far away (long distance)?
and
3) Can children appropriately block meanings that the
grammar doesn’t allow, i.e.when there is a barrier?
Wh-Question Comprehension:
Testing Procedure
 The child is told a brief story about a pictured
event.
 They are then asked the key test question about
some aspect of the event.
 The pictured events and stories support several
possible interpretations of the question.
Wh-Question Comprehension:
Testing Procedure
 Example of Questions involving VARIABLES
This girl played different things in different ways.
She played the drums with her feet and the piano
with her hands. How did the girl play what?
Copyrighted Picture Omitted
c. The Psychological Corporation
This father and this baby were having lunch
together. Who ate what?
Copyrighted Picture Omitted
c. The Psychological Corporation
Typical Answers to double WH
questions
 PAIRED, EXHAUSTIVE responses
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Ex. She played the piano with her hands and the drums with her
feet.
 SINGLETONS (Incorrect)
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One element: “piano” “with her feet”
Both objects, no instruments: “piano and drums”
One pair: “the piano with her hands.”
 OTHER
 “She played a lot.” “She was playing.”
Double-WH Example Responses from
field testing
CHILD A (12663)
CHILD B (18221)
Feet and her hands
She played the piano with
her hands and the drums
with her feet.
Instruments xx
only
0 points
Paired and exhaustive
1 point
Double-WH Example 2
CHILD A (12663)
CHILD B (18221)
Ball, a yoyo
The girl played with the
yoyo, the boy played with
the balloon
Objects only
Paired and exhaustive
0 points
1 point
Double-WH Example 3
CHILD A (12663)
CHILD B (18221)
Banana and a apple
The dad ate the apple, the
baby ate the nana.
Objects only
Paired and exhaustive
0 points
1 point
Double WH Response Types by Age and Language Status
(N = 1014, 708 Typically Developing,
306 Language Impaired)
Fig. 1b. Double WH Response Types
1
Not Paired
0.8
OTHER-LI
0.6
Paired Exhaustive
0.4
Not Paired-LI
0.2
Paired
Exhaustive-LI
0
4
5
6
Age Yrs
7
8
9
Item Type 2: Long Distance Movement with
False Embedded Clause
(False Clause)
This mother snuck out one night when her little girl was asleep and bought a
surprise birthday cake. The next day the little girl saw the bag from the store
and asked, “What did you buy?” The mom wanted to keep the surprise until
later so she said, “ Just some paper towels.”
-- What did the mom say she bought?
Copyrighted Picture Omitted
c. The Psychological Corporation
Typical Answers to “False
Clause” questions
 LONG DISTANCE (LD) TWO CLAUSE responses
 Ex. She said she bought paper towels.
 ONE CLAUSE responses (Incorrect)
 Ex. (She bought) a birthday cake.
 OTHER
 “a surprise” “a bag” “I don’t know.”
WH-False Clause Example Responses
from field testing
CHILD A (12663)
CHILD B (18221)
A cake
Paper towels
1 clause answer
0 points
2-clause answer (long
distance)
1 point
LD False Clause Response Types by Age and
Language Status (N = 1014)
Fig. 3 WH "False Clause" Response Types
by Age and Language Status
1 clauseTD
1
LD 2
clauses-TD
0.8
0.6
OTHER-LI
0.4
0.2
1-clauseTD
0
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5
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Age Yrs
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9
LD 2
clauses-LI
Item Type 3 Barrier to Long Distance Movement
Note: Children’s ability to give LD answers (without
embedded false clause) was tested in piloting and then in the
DSLT Tryout testing. 90% of the children ages 4-6 and 95%
of the children 7-10 gave at least one Long Distance answer,
so for reasons of time, simple Long Distance items do not
appear on the DELV.
This mom didn’t know how to bake a cake. She saw a TV program
about cooking, and she learned to make a lovely cake with pudding
mix.
-- How did the mom learn what to bake?
Copyrighted Picture Omitted
c. The Psychological Corporation
Typical Answers toWH-barriers
questions
 SHORT DISTANCE responses
 (How did she learn…?) By watching TV..
 MEDIAL ANSWERS (Incorrect)
 (…what to bake?) “a cake”
 LONG DISTANCE responses (Incorrect)
 (How…..bake?) “With a pudding mix,” “With a spoon”
 OTHER
 Ex. “She didn’t know how.”
WH-barrier Example Responses 2
Who did she ask what to buy?
CHILD A (12663)
CHILD B (18221)
bologna
The grocery store lady
Medial
Short Distance
0 points
1 point
WH Barrier Response Types by Age and
Language Status (N = 1014)
WH "Barriers" Response Types by Age and
Language Status
1
0.8
Short Distance-TD
Short Distance-LI
0.6
Medial-TD
0.4
Medial-LI
OTHER-li
0.2
0
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Age Yrs
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Other WH Example Responses
CHILD A (12663)
2 correct barriers,
2 barrier violations
1 other
CHILD B (18221)
4 correct barriers
1 medial
2 points (of 5)
4 points (of 5)
Total:4 of 14
Total: 12 of 14
Who are these children?
CHILD A (12663)
5 years old
White Female
From South
Parents w/ HS education
Mainstream English
speaker
Not receiving speech or
language services
CHILD B (18221)
4 years old
African American boy
From “north Central” US
Parents w/ HS education
“Some difference” from
MAE”
Not receiving speech or
language services
Also on the DELV:
PASSIVES: TESTING for HIDDEN
INFORMATION
Does the child distinguish these two sentences?
Ex.
The ball dropped
The ball was dropped => hidden AGENT
ARTICLES: TESTING REQUIREMENTS OF
DISCOURSE PROPERTIES
Does the child carry information from one sentence
into another?
Ex.
A bird flew out of a cage because something
was open? What was it?
THE door (nor A door)
Has the child learned to interpret articles as reference
to context?
• Similar analyses and profiles emerge for Passives
and Articles as well.
Conclusions
 We have shown that the assessment of complex aspects of
children’s syntactic development between the ages of 4 and
9 can be carried out in a dialect neutral fashion.
 These materials and procedures capture the development of
several aspects of language that are vital for success in early
schooling and the transition to literacy.
 They provide the clinician with a substantial profile of the
child language strengths and weaknesses, not just a
diagnostic categorization.
 As such they provide a much richer evaluation of language
variation and its sources that has direct implications for
areas and methods of intervention.