In the theoretical part of the master's thesis we define prepositions as a word class and examine the use of spatial prepositions in children's language expression. The first part of the theoretical introduction provides a detailed description of the characteristics of this word class, both in the context of cross-linguistic typologies and in the language-specific context, i.e., in Slovene. Next we present spatial prepositions in the Slovene language, along with their case governance and the structure of prepositional phrases. The second part of the theoretical introduction examines spatial concepts and cognitive processes that are necessary for the comprehension and expression of spatial information in language, as well as findings from previous studies, both Slovene and international ones, regarding the sequence of acquisition of spatial prepositions and specific phases of preposition acquisition in children's language development.
In the empirical part of the thesis we used an experimental method to examine the expression of spatial prepositions in 50 children aged between 2;00 and 4;11 years. The study included seven Slovene spatial prepositions: v (in), na (on), pod (under), pred (in front of), za (behind), pri (next to), med (between). The use of each preposition was tested with three tasks. The children answered the question »Where is X?« based on different spatial situations that were presented to them by changing the placement of toys on a table. Based on the statistically analyzed results, we examined the sequence of spatial preposition acquisition in the Slovene language and compared it with previous cross-linguistic studies. We also investigated the phases of preposition acquisition and the occurrence of various types of errors in relation to age. The study contributed to the understanding of the development of spatial prepositions in Slovene, a topic that has not been extensively researched. The knowledge of the phases and types of errors that occur during the acquisition of spatial prepositions can assist speech therapists in practice with the diagnosis and planning of therapy for language disorders.
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