Project team members:

• Prof. Emer. Melita Kovačević, PhD
• Prof. Marijan Palmović, PhD
• Eva Pavlinušić Vilus. PhD
• Dora Knežević, PhD

Associates:

• Assis. Prof. Maja Kelić, PhD
• Anka Shamatava mag. logoped.

Understanding how speakers acquire and process morphologically complex forms is one of the important questions in psycholinguistics. Although morphology and phonology have often been studied separately, little is known about their interaction in the context of acquisition and processing. This interaction is encompassed by the concept of morphonotactic, within which a strong morphonotactic hypothesis has been developed. According to it, morphological information in words facilitates the acquisition and processing of morphologically rich languages. Previous research has somewhat confirmed SMH, but with certain methodological shortcomings. The main goal of the MORFON project is to conduct a comprehensive examination of language acquisition and processing within the framework of SMH, i.e. the influence of morphophonological information in language on language acquisition and processing. The current knowledge is sought to be further expanded by a) describing acquisition patterns in structurally different languages, Croatian and Georgian; b) describing phonological processes in the acquisition of these languages; and c) investigating language processing in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Such an approach will enable additional expansion of theoretical knowledge about SMH within the framework of acquisition and processing, and will also help to see which pattern is developmentally expected and which indicates language deviations. Activities within MORFON include corpus research, extensive and systematic descriptions, and experimental studies. The project results are expected to enable the expansion of knowledge about language acquisition and processing. The project will also generate the first systematic descriptions of phonological processes in the acquisition of two languages. Finally, research on language processing in children with typical language development (TLD) and children with DLD will contribute to knowledge about expected developmental patterns and those that indicate deviations. These contributions are both theoretical and scientific (expanding knowledge about DLD and psycholinguistic factors of development and processing), and clinical (recognizing the problems and the possibility of informing experts about ways to create materials in speech language therapy for DLD, controlling for morphological and phonological features).

The results of the MORFON project are expected to significantly expand knowledge of language acquisition and processing in Croatian and Georgian from a cross-linguistic perspective, with a particular emphasis on the role of language structure in language development and processing. The project will yield the first systematic descriptions of phonological processes in the acquisition of these languages and will contribute to a better understanding of both typical and atypical developmental patterns through research on language processing in children with typical language development and children with developmental language disorder (DLD). In this way, the project will make both a theoretical and scientific contribution – particularly by advancing knowledge of morphonotactic theory and psycholinguistic factors involved in language development and processing – as well as a professional contribution by enabling the identification of developmental deviations and informing professionals about the development of materials for speech and language therapy, with controlled morphological and phonological properties. Since the MORFON project addresses an internationally recognised topic in language acquisition and processing, its activities will enable the generation of internationally relevant insights, contributing to psycholinguistic theory and clinical practice, while also strengthening international visibility and networking, which will in turn positively affect the careers of all project members.

In addition to international visibility and collaboration with researchers from other universities in Croatia and worldwide, the nature of the project activities ensures that project members – especially those in the early stages of their careers – receive advanced training and acquire knowledge in the fields of methodology and psycholinguistics. This includes experimental psycholinguistics (the use of various testing methods and techniques, and data analysis methods), developmental psycholinguistics (knowledge of stages of language acquisition in the context of morphonotactic theory and knowledge of the influence of language structure on language processing), and the field of language disorders (understanding the influence of morphological and phonological information on language processing in speakers with DLD). The planned training activities and scientific publications will further contribute to the dissemination of the project results, with a positive impact not only on the career development of early-stage researchers but also on the scientific productivity and visibility of our Institution.