Similar paths for dissimilar structures

Abstract In this paper, we study the interaction of universal principles and language-specific properties in light of the prosodic development of Arabic and Hebrew—two languages that differ in terms of stress pattern and syllable structure. We show that despite the differences between Arabic and Hebrew, the developmental paths of children acquiring these languages are similar, in particular during the very early stages of speech. We propose three guidelines that navigate the interaction of universal principles with language-specific properties: (a) the emergence of unmarked structure, (b) the avoidance of marked structure, and (c) the contribution of frequency. We argue that universal principles prevail in early speech, while the effect of frequency and other language-specific properties becomes apparent in later stages of speech.