Children sometimes use sentences such as See window and Shake hands early in language development. According to the parameter setting view, they do so because:
A) they initially assume that sentences without subjects are grammatical
B) they do not have the processing capacity to produce all of the grammatical elements of the utterance
C) they prefer to begin utterances with an action word
D) they have heard similar utterances from older siblings

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the parameter setting view, children initially assume that sentences without subjects are grammatical as a default setting in their language acquisition process. This is known as the null subject parameter, and children eventually learn to specify subjects in their sentences as they acquire more knowledge about the grammar of their language. Therefore, the use of sentences such as "See window" and "Shake hands" can be attributed to children's assumption that sentences without subjects are grammatical.

Children Sometimes Use Sentences Such as See Window and Shake