RACT Children require time and several distinct stages when growing up through which they learn specic languages for embracing coherent communication mechanisms effectively then they must understand syntax -mechanics governing phrase construction among other language requirements. Being able to oversee a child's level of growth with regards to linguistic skill-set development while watching over its morphosyntactic functions becomes important since performing well here can lead spell long-term benets enhancing critical reading, writing or even public speaking. Plural marker, case marker, PNG marker are all examples of morpho-syntactic language-related concepts children should learn about. This study explores typical children speaking Hindi aged between 6-8 years, we will be focusing on understanding how and why PNG markers become more apparent as they progress through this developmental stage. As standardised tests for Hindi are currently unavailable as precise acquisition data cannot be accessed hence, we want to explore several aspects by studying the normal developmental characteristics of typical children speaking Hindi. The fact is that most children learn a lot about such markers even before they turn six years old, these results were further cemented by age where it showed the importance necessary for development were fully acquired by eight years old. Our findings support greater attention to assessing various interventions, including developing evaluation strategies for child's language lear

1. ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
ACQUISITION OF PNG MARKERS IN 6-8 YEARS OLD TYPICAL CHILDREN
SPEAKING HINDI
Himani Bansal*
Postgraduate Student, Dr. M. V. Shetty College of Speech and Hearing, Mangalore
575015, Karnataka,India*CorrespondingAuthor
Dr. Satish
Kumaraswamy
Professor & Principal, Dr. M. V. Shetty College of Speech and Hearing, Mangalore
575015, Karnataka,India
INTRODUCTION
Spoken by millions internationally including India- Hindi presents
itself as an intriguing source for examining how acquiring PNG
markers come into play among young children. Being part of Indo-
Aryan within the larger Indo-European family tree, Hindi exhibits a
complex system of inectional morphology different from languages
with simpler structural patterns. The intricate agreement patterns
embedded within Hindi grammar structure present unique challenges
for young children to navigate while striving towards language
mastery.
Hindi offers a rich linguistic premise when studied for its grammatical
aspects related to markers like person, number and gender - offering
deeper insights into both cultural-specic contexts within universal
learning practices' paradigms. With that ambition in mind, this study
aims for addressing rightful research gaps by investigating PNG
markers acquisition trends among typical children speaking Hindi
aged between 6-8 years. The sample size comprising of randomly
selected 50 school-going students from economically diverse
backgrounds offers data collection opportunities in natural settings.
Rigorous data analysis ensued under qualitative and quantitative
methodologies supporting systematic transcriptions empowering a
thoroughinvestigationofgrammaticalfeatures'acquisitionpatterns.
The acquisition of plural markers in typically developing Malayalam-
speaking children aged between 3 to 8 years was investigated by
Vishnu, Sreelakshmi, Nandhu & Kumaraswamy (2015) through a
descriptive study. In light of study results, plural markers such as /kal/,
/ma:r/, and similar displays conformity with predictable patterns- or
show “regularity”- while other marker types such as /aja:l/-/avar/
conform rather poorly - displaying an “irregular” behavior instead.
Specically, study revealed that most participants had achieved full
mastery (100%) over regular patterns by the age of 5; meanwhile,
progress on mastering irregulars lagged behind until children reached
7-8 years old before becoming procient. Nonetheless, across all
participants' ages, there still remained highly successful acquisition
rates (above 60%) throughout their mastery over those predictable
systems.
Astudy was conducted by Kaur, Jiji & Rao (2017) with the objective of
exploring PNG markers in typically developing Hindi-speaking
children aged between 4-6 years old. From the data gathered it was
revealed that most of these markers developed before 4 years old and
continued to develop until around the age of 6 when they were fully
formed.
Grinstead (2000), looking at Spanish language studies reported that
person agreementappearedearlywhilenumbereitherabsentor limited
andsubjecttoindividualdifferencesacross differentchildren.
The sensitivity towards gendered language in individuals who speak
different languages was investigated by Chen & Su (2011).Their study
comprised two experiments undertaken by children procient in either
Mandarin or English. Experiment 1 involved listening to stories
followed by immediate responses to a set of related questions of which
one set pertained explicitly to gender classication while the other
didn't mention sex at all. Results indicated that when asked about
genders relative to non-gender-related queries, Anglophone
respondents exhibited greater accuracy and speed relative to
Sinophone participants. Similarly, during experiment 2 which
involved choosing one out of two pictures based on previously
presented grammatical constructs, English-speaking pupils replied
signicantly quicker than their equivalents who were uent in
Mandarin when feminine or masculine terms were involved. The
experiment results provide support for the impact of language on
humancognitiveprocesses.
Various western and Indian-based researchers endeavored tirelessly
towards studying how child development intersects with acquiring
grammatical structures like personication through numerical values
along with sex/association indicators sorted by gender labeling- all
integral parts required for conversation within many native language
speakers. The present work extends previous efforts in that regard
throughthespecicinvestigationof Hindi-speakinggroups.
PNGMarkersin Hindi
In Hindi, the verb ending must agree with the subject in number and
genderas follows:
1) Use of| t a:|, | t e|,| t i:|
a) For Masculinesingular,| t a:| is addedtotheverb.
b) For Masculineplural,| t e| is addedtotheverb.
c) For Femininesingularandplural,| t i:| isaddedtotheverb.
2) Use of| raha:|, | rahe|,| rahi:|incaseofpresentprogressivetense
a) In caseofMasculinesingular| raha:| is used
b) In caseofMasculineplural| rahe| is used
c) In caseofFemininesingularandplural| rahi| isused
3) Words like|na:| areused for wishfulsentences
METHODOLOGY
AimOfTheStudy
Through this research, we seek to achieve two important objectives
pertaining specically to typical children speaking Hindi. Firstly, by
examining a naturalistic sample comprised of typical children in the
age range of 6-8 years within this population group, we aimed to
illustrate and catalogue notable characteristics relating to specically
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Language
International Journal of Scientific Research 1
Volume - 12 | Issue - 07 | July - 2023 | PRINT ISSN No. 2277 - 8179 | DOI : 10.36106/ijsr
ABSTRACT
Children require time and several distinct stages when growing up through which they learn specic languages for embracing coherent
communication mechanisms effectively then they must understand syntax -mechanics governing phrase construction among other language
requirements. Being able to oversee a child's level of growth with regards to linguistic skill-set development while watching over its
morphosyntactic functions becomes important since performing well here can lead spell long-term benets enhancing critical reading, writing or
even public speaking. Plural marker, case marker, PNG marker are all examples of morpho-syntactic language-related concepts children should
learn about. This study explores typical children speaking Hindi aged between 6-8 years, we will be focusing on understanding how and why PNG
markers become more apparent as they progress through this developmental stage. As standardised tests for Hindi are currently unavailable as
precise acquisition data cannot be accessed hence, we want to explore several aspects by studying the normal developmental characteristics of
typical children speaking Hindi. The fact is that most children learn a lot about such markers even before they turn six years old, these results were
further cemented by age where it showed the importance necessary for development were fully acquired by eight years old. Our ndings support
greaterattentiontoassessing variousinterventions,includingdevelopingevaluationstrategiesforchild'slanguagelearning.
KEYWORDS
PNG marker, Hindi language, syntax

2. Volume - 12 | Issue - 07 | July - 2023
2 International Journal of Scientific Research
identied PNG markers. In addition, we explored discrepancies or
similarities across this developmental spectrum as a means for
understanding possible variations over time and aging traits within
languageacquisitionamongyoungerpopulations.
Subjects
50 primary school students from Kanpur district who achieved
excellent results in their education thus far as evidenced by their
academic records at school were taken as subjects. To ensure an even
spread across both age ranges studied, the sample group was divided
into two groups of 25 participants respectively; one consisting of
children within the age bracket of 6.0-6.11 years while the other
comprisedchildrenaged7.0-7.11yearsrespectively.
Inclusion &ExclusionCriteria
This investigation necessitates that potential subjects t particular
criteria, namely: being aged between six and eight years old and
speaking Hindi uently as their rst language. It is imperative that
certain exclusions be made when assessing candidate suitability in this
study. Respectfully speaking therefore; only those with absolutely no
previous speech or language problems as well as an absence of all
neurologicalsymptomswillmeetthenecessarycriteria.
Stimulus Used
An assortment of toys, books and pictures were employed to elicit
language responses from children. The enlisted materials are shown in
thetablebelow.
Table1:ToysAnd MaterialsUsed ForLanguage Data Collection
Procedure
Natural conversations between clinician-child and parent-child were
audio/videotaped while they played together in a relaxed environment.
A specially chosen quiet corner of a designated facility was used for
this purpose so that ambient noise would not impact record quality.
Each interaction session lasted around 10-15 minutes with only one
child taking part at any given time. Our approach was hands-off -
giving just the minimum guidance required -to elicit organic reactions
from each child as they interacted with the provided stimuli like toys or
pictures.
Data Analysis
An in-depth analysis was conducted including a detailed transcription
of the conversation. The recorded data was thoroughly examined
following transcription and subjected to statistical analysis using
record sheets. For clear summarization of the ndings, frequencies and
percentages were applied before comparison between age groups was
madethroughZ-testsforproportions.
RESULTS
The obtained data was statistically analysed and the results are
discussedbelow.
Table 2: Showing Gender And Age Wise Distribution Of Subjects
In EachGroup
Table 3: Showing Acquisition Of PNG Markers And Their
ComparativeValuesAcrossAge Groups
Figure 1: Showing Acquisition Of PNG Markers Across Age
Groups
The results show that PNG markers /t a /, /t e/, /t i /, /rəha / and
/rəhi / were acquired by the age of 6 years. /rəhe/ was acquired by the
age of 7 years. However, wishful PNG marker /na:/ was not fully
acquired by the age of 7.11 years. The comparative values showed a
signicantdifferenceintheacquisitionof /rəhe/acrosstheagegroups.
Table 4: Showing Gender Wise Comparative Values Of
Acquisition OfPNGMarkers
The above values show that there was highly signicant difference
between genders in the acquisition of /na:/ in the age group of 7.0-7.11
years.
DISCUSSION
The present study is a useful reference for comprehending the
language patterns of typical children speaking Hindi. This
understanding can be applied to aid children with communication
disorders as well. PNG markers /t a /, /t e/, /t i /, /rəha / and
/rəhi / were achieved by the age of 6 years. /rəhe/ was acquired by the
age of 7 years. However, wishful PNG marker /na:/ was not fully
acquired by the age of 7.11 years. The comparative values showed a
signicant difference in the acquisition of /rəhe/ across the age groups.
The results made it clear that the usage of PNG markers increases as the
ageincreases.
In contradiction with the previous ndings of Prema (1979), current
research has revealed strong stability in the usage of PNG markers
among 6-year-olds. Moreover, there is no signicant difference
observed between rst person and second person markers as
previously suggested by Subbarao (1995). The current research
adheres to past studies conducted in Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi
and other languages such as (Sreedevi, 1976; Tasneem, 1977;
Subramanyah, 1978; Gore, 1982; Subbarao, 1995; Suchitra &
Karanth, 2013; Kaur, 2015).As already established by previous studies
PRINT ISSN No. 2277 - 8179 | DOI : 10.36106/ijsr
Category Material
Toys and Play Materials Doll house, Building blocks, Toy cars and
toy train, Kitchen set, Paper-pencil
List of Pictures Road trafc, Village scene, Birthday
party, City scene
Topics for elicited
Responses
Family, School life, TV programmes,
Cartoon scenes, Favourite clothes/music
Gender
F M Total
Count Column
N %
Count Column
N %
Count Column
N %
Age
Group
6.0-6.11 yrs 11 44.0% 14 56.0% 25 50.0%
7.0-7.11 yrs 14 56.0% 11 44.0% 25 50.0%
Total 25 100.0% 25 100.0% 50 100.0%
AGE GROUP
6.0-6.11 yrs 7.0-7.11 yrs Comparison between the
age groups- p value
Count % Count %
PNG
/t a / 25 100.0% 25 100.0% 1.000 NS
GENDER
F M Comparison
between the
gender- p
value
Count Row N
%
Count Row N
%
PNG
/t a / 6.0-6.11 yrs 11 100.0% 14 100.0% 1.000 NS
7.0-7.11 yrs 14 100.0% 11 100.0% 1.000 NS
/t e/ 6.0-6.11 yrs 11 100.0% 14 100.0% 1.000 NS
7.0-7.11 yrs 14 100.0% 11 100.0% 1.000 NS
/t i / 6.0-6.11 yrs 11 100.0% 14 100.0% 1.000 NS
7.0-7.11 yrs 14 100.0% 11 100.0% 1.000 NS
/rəha / 6.0-6.11 yrs 11 100.0% 14 100.0% 1.000 NS
7.0-7.11 yrs 14 100.0% 11 100.0% 1.000 NS
/rəhe/ 6.0-6.11 yrs 8 72.7% 13 92.9% 0.093 NS
7.0-7.11 yrs 14 100.0% 11 100.0% 1.000 NS
/rəhi:/ 6.0-6.11 yrs 11 100.0% 14 100.0% 1.000 NS
7.0-7.11 yrs 14 100.0% 11 100.0% 1.000 NS
/na:/ 6.0-6.11 yrs 7 63.6% 11 78.6% 0.209 NS
7.0-7.11 yrs 12 85.7% 10 90.9% 0.004 HS
/t e/ 25 100.0% 25 100.0% 1.000 NS
/t i / 25 100.0% 25 100.0% 1.000 NS
/rəha / 25 100.0% 25 100.0% 1.000 NS
/rəhe/ 21 84.0% 25 100.0% 0.021 Sig
/rəhi:/ 25 100.0% 25 100.0% 1.000 NS
/na:/ 18 72.0% 22 88.0% 0.082 NS

3. on syntactic markers in Indian languages - including Kaur, Jiji & Rao
(2017) analysis and Subbarao (1995)- regular plurals are more
commonlyusedthanirregularplurals.
The ndings are consistent with the ndings of Nippold, Hesketch,
Duthie and Manseld (2005), who gathered evidence in 2005
regarding language acquisition amongst children. Their ndings
revealed that while basic syntax is developed by the age of six; more
intricate components continue evolving into adolescence and early
adulthood (20-29 years). After said period though their complexity
remainsstableup untilmiddleage(40-49years).
SUMMARY& CONCLUSION
The dearth of data regarding PNG marker acquisition among Hindi
speakers in India calls for further exploration of this topic area. The
current investigation strives to provide insight into the existence and
characteristics of PNG markers within 6-8-year-old typical children
speaking Hindi. Furthermore, this study seeks to contrast differences
in PNG marker usage between age groups through both natural
conversation as well as picture description task. The sample
population consisted of 50 standard school-age children segmented
evenly into two separate cohorts by their age demographics to ensure
accurate interpretation outcomes. We elicited linguistic responses
from these participating children utilizing diverse apparatuses such as
toys and books coupled with visual stimuli like pictures while
capturing all events via audio/video recording usingVivoV2029 smart
phone. Evidence analysis entailed transcription followed up by an
extensive overview session. The collected data was then subjected to
rigorous statistical investigation and the presence of PNG markers was
discovered across age groups. Results indicated signicant difference
in the acquisition of /rəhe/ across the age groups. The comparative
values showed highly signicant difference between genders in the
acquisition of /na:/ in the age group of 7.0-7.11 years. Based on this
research, it was deduced that older children outperformed younger
ones across all PNG criteria measured; thus, demonstrating a clear
developmental progression. Furthermore, as per the results obtained
from this investigation, higher ages were associated with superior
capacitytoemployaccuratePNG markerseffectively.
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Volume - 12 | Issue - 07 | July - 2023