Production of Cantonese classifiers in young heritage speakers and majority language speakers

The role of language background factors in the heritage speakers’ performance was also examined.Methodology:The participants included 72 heritage speakers (3;10–11;3) and 61 majority language speakers (5;3–12;4).

A picture-naming task was used to elicit the production of noun phrases containing six different target classifiers. A language background questionnaire was administered.Data and Analysis:The participants’ production was scored in terms of whether a classifier was produced in each obligatory context, and whether an appropriate form of classifier was used. The scores were analysed using multiple regression.Findings:Both groups were able to produce a classifier where required, but the heritage speakers were less accurate in selecting the appropriate classifier.