Methods for Studying the Production of Argument Structure in Children and Adults

INTRODUCTION Argument structure is one of the most challenging topics in the study of language, bringing together the grammar and the lexicon, syntax and semantics. A definition-more comforting than precise-is that argument structure refers to knowledge about the expression of arguments (usually noun phrases) in the syntax of a sentence. This chapter discusses how the production of language by children and adults may be studied in order to shed light on argument structure.