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Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication ACLC

Prof. dr. J.C. (Jeannette) Schaeffer

Language Acquisition
Faculty of Humanities
Capaciteitsgroep Taalwetenschap
Photographer: Onbekend
Visiting address
  • Spuistraat 134
  • Room number: 6.43
Postal address
  • Postbus 1642
    1000 BP Amsterdam
Contact details
  • Profile

    I am a linguist specializing in language acquisition by neurotypical and neurodivergent children, teenagers and adults. I earned my MA degree from Utrecht University in 1990, my PhD degree from UCLA in 1997, and was a Postdoc at MIT until 1998. From 1998-2011 I worked at Ben Gurion University in Israel as an Assistant and an Associate Professor. I have been affiliated with the University of Amsterdam since 2011. 

     

    Research interests

    My research varies from the study of language acquisition by typically developing monolingual Dutch-, English-, Italian-, Hebrew-, Russian- and Mandarin-acquiring children, to multilingualism (including L2) and the study of language disorders, particularly in individuals with Developmental Language Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Hemispherectomy.

    A recurring theme in my research is the question as to whether grammar and pragmatics are two separate language components or not, what their respective roles and interaction are in language development, and how they interact with extralinguistic cognition. The linguistic phenomena I investigate to this end include object scrambling, clitic placement, Wh-movement, article drop, article choice, the mass/count distinction, subject drop, subject-verb agreement, Root Infinitives, Case, implicatures, information structure. I mostly use behavioral experimental techniques (onsite and online), but I also have an interest in eye-tracking, brain-imaging and electrophysiological techniques to collect data although I don't have much experience with these techniques yet.

  • Publications - see below
  • PhD students
  • Current Projects

    Language (development) in Autism

    1. Preparation MSC Doctoral Network grant proposal on Language, Brain and Genetics in Autism

    2. Preparation Textbook on Language in Autism

    3. Coordination LACA Network (Language Abilities in Children with Autism / Language And Communication in Autism)

  • Publications

    2025

    • Der Nederlanden, S. J., Schaeffer, J. C., Van Bakel, H. H. J. A., & Dirks, E. (2025). Socio-economic status and other potential risk factors for language development in the first year of life. Journal of Child Language, 52(1), 42-62. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000923000478 [details]
    • Huang, R., Schaeffer, J. C., & He, X. (2025). Mandarin non-interrogative wh-words distinguish between children with Developmental Language Disorder and Language-Impaired autistic children. Language Acquisition, 32(4), 574-597. https://doi.org/10.1080/10489223.2024.2371594

    2023

    • Hao, H., Schaeffer, J. C., & van 't Veer, B. M. (2023). On the Prosody of Contrastive Topic and Contrastive Focus in Mandarin Chinese. In J. Lu, E. Petersen, A. Zaitsu, & B. Harizanov (Eds.), Proceedings of the 40th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics (Vol. 40, pp. 100-110). Cascadilla Press. https://www.lingref.com/cpp/wccfl/40/paper3702.pdf
    • Schaeffer, J., Abd El-Raziq, M., Castroviejo, E., Durrleman, S., Ferré, S., Grama, I., Hendriks, P., Kissine, M., Manenti, M., Marinis, T., Meir, N., Novogrodsky, R., Perovic, A., Panzeri, F., Sileresi, S., Sukenik, N., Vicente, A., Zebib, R., Prévost, P., & Tuller, L. (2023). Language in autism: domains, profiles and co-occurring conditions. Journal of Neural Transmission, 130(3), 433-457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-023-02592-y [details]

    2022

    2021

    • Berends, S., Sleeman, P., Hulk, A., & Schaeffer, J. (2021). The L2 acquisition of the referential semantics of Dutch partitive pronoun ER constructions. In P. Sleeman, & G. Giusti (Eds.), Partitive Determiners, Partitive Pronouns and Partitive Case (pp. 237-260). (Linguistische Arbeiten; Vol. 580). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110732221-007 [details]
    • Schaeffer, J. C., Durrleman, S., & Eigsti, I.-M. (2021). On links between language development and extra-linguistic cognitive knowledge: What we can learn from autism. Language Acquisition, 28(2).
    • Schaeffer, J., & Grama, I. (2021). Language-developmental trajectory in autism: Data collection, social communication, statistical learning and autistic traits. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1075/lab.21060.sch
    • Schaeffer, J., Durrleman, S., & Eigsti, I. M. (2021). On links between language development and extralinguistic cognitive knowledge: What we can learn from autism. Language Acquisition, 28(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1080/10489223.2020.1769631 [details]

    2020

    2018

    2017

    • Blom, E., Cornips, L., & Schaeffer, J. (2017). Cross-linguistic influence in bilingualism: Festschrift for Aafke Hulk. In E. Blom, L. Cornips, & J. Schaeffer (Eds.), Cross-linguistic Influence in Bilingualism: In honor of Aafke Hulk (pp. 1-14). (Studies in Bilingualism ; Vol. 52). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.52.01blo [details]
    • Keydeniers, D., Eliazer, J., & Schaeffer, J. (2017). Definite-indefinite article choice development in Dutch child language. Linguistics in the Netherlands, 34, 93-109. https://doi.org/10.1075/avt.34.07key [details]
    • Paltiel-Gedalyovich, L. R., & Schaeffer, J. (2017). Scales and non-scales in (Hebrew) child language. In C. Lee, F. Kiefer, & M. Krifka (Eds.), Contrastiveness in Information Structure, Alternatives, and Scalar Implicatures (pp. 339-358). (Studies in Natural Language and Linguistic Theory; Vol. 91). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10106-4_17 [details]
    • Schaeffer, J. (2017). Are Children with High-Functioning Autism Better at Syntax than Typically Developing Children? The Case of Dutch Object Relative Clauses. In M. LaMendola, & J. Scott (Eds.), Proceedings of the 41st Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development (Vol. 2, pp. 576-587). (BUCLD; Vol. 41). Cascadilla Press. http://www.lingref.com/bucld/41/BUCLD41-47.pdf [details]
    • Schaeffer, J. (2017). Unravelling the complexity of Direct Object Scrambling. Language Sciences, 60, 173-198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2016.10.007 [details]
    • Schaeffer, J., Horselenberg, C., & van Koert, M. (2017). L2 Acquisition of English article choice by Dutch native speakers: Cross-linguistic influence? In E. Blom, L. Cornips, & J. Schaeffer (Eds.), Cross-linguistic Influence in Bilingualism: In honor of Aafke Hulk (pp. 279-302). (Studies in Bilingualism; Vol. 52). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.52.13sch [details]
    • Schaeffer, J., van Witteloostuijn, M., & Creemers, A. (2017). Article choice, theory of mind, and memory in children with high-functioning autism and children with specific language impairment. Applied Psycholinguistics, 39(1), 89-115. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716417000492 [details]

    2016

    2015

    • Blom, E., Schaeffer, J., & Tsimpli, I. M. (2015). Reference and referentiality in native and learner grammars. Lingua, 155, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2015.01.005 [details]
    • Creemers, A., & Schaeffer, J. C. (2015). Grammatical and pragmatic properties of the DP in children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and in children with High Functioning Autism (HFA). In B. Köhnlein, & J. Audring (Eds.), Linguistics in The Netherlands 2015 (pp. 16-32). (Linguistics in The Netherlands; No. 32). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/avt.32.02cre [details]
    • Creemers, A., & Schaeffer, J. C. (2015). Specific Language Impairment and High Functioning Autism: Evidence for Distinct Etiologies and for Modularity of Grammar and Pragmatics. In L. Perkins, R. Dudley, J. Gerard, & K. Hitczenko (Eds.), Proceedings of the 6th Conference on Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition North America (GALANA 2015) (pp. 1-12). Cascadilla Press. [details]
    • Eitan, R., & Schaeffer, J. (2015). On Focus Encoding in Adult and Child Hebrew. In C. Hamann, & E. Ruigendijk (Eds.), Language Acquisition and Development: proceedings of GALA 2013 (pp. 98-119). Cambridge Scholars Publishers. [details]
    • Schaeffer, J. C. (2015). On the link between complex predictive abilities and memory in language acquisition. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 5(4), 522-527. https://doi.org/10.1075/lab.5.4.14sch [details]

    2014

    • Schaeffer, J., van Witteloostuijn, M., & de Haan, D. (2014). Article choice in children with High Functioning Autism (HFA) and in children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Linguistics in the Netherlands, 31, 107-128. https://doi.org/10.1075/avt.31.09sch [details]

    2013

    • Becker, M., & Schaeffer, J. (2013). Animacy, Argument Structure and Unaccusatives in Child English. In M. Becker, J. Grinstead, & J. Rothman (Eds.), Generative linguistics and acquisition: studies in honor of Nina M. Hyams (pp. 13-33). (Language acquisition and language disorders; No. 54). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.54.01bec [details]

    2009

    • Paltiel-Gedalyovich, L., & Schaeffer, J. C. (2009). Scales and non-scales in (Hebrew) child language. In P. Manghyu (Ed.), Proceedings of CIL 18
    • Schaeffer, J. C., & Ben Shalom, D. (2009). On child subjects in a partially pro-drop language. In S. Armon Lotem, S. Rothstein, & G. Danon (Eds.), Generative approaches to Hebrew linguistics (pp. 245-266). John Benjamins.

    2008

    • Gordishevsky, G., & Schaeffer, J. C. (2008). The development and interaction of Case and Number in early Russian. In P. Guijarro-Fuentes, P. Larrañaga, & J. Clibbens (Eds.), First language acquisition of morphology and syntax: perspectives across languages and learners (pp. 31-59). John Benjamins.
    • Hyams, N., & Schaeffer, J. C. (2008). Auxiliary and clitic omissions in Italian children's participle constructions. In Proceedings of GALA 2007 Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
    • Paltiel-Gedalyovich, L., Hacohen, A., Eitan, R., & Schaeffer, J. C. (2008). The acquisition of Hebrew tense. Boston University Conference on Language Development. Proceedings, 32. http://www.cascadilla.com/bucld32toc.html

    2007

    • Hacohen, A., & Schaeffer, J. C. (2007). Subject realization in early Hebrew/English bilingual acquisition: The role of crosslinguistic influence. Bilingualism : Language and Cognition, 10(3), 333-344. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1366728907003100

    2006

    • Schaeffer, J. C. (2006). Functional Categories across Child Populations. In A. Belikova, L. Meroni, & M. Umeda (Eds.), Proceedings of GALANA 2 McGill University.

    2021

    • Huang, R., Schaeffer, J., & He, X. (2021). DLD and ALI Language Profiles are not the Same: Evidence from Mandarin Wh-words. In D. Dionne, & L.-A. Vidal Covas (Eds.), Proceedings of the 45th Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development (Vol. 1, pp. 318-331). (BUCLD; Vol. 45). Cascadilla Press. http://www.lingref.com/bucld/45/BUCLD45-25.pdf [details]

    2017

    • Berends, S., Schaeffer, J., & Sleeman, P. (2017). Cross-linguistic Influence in Adult Second Language Learners: Dutch Quantitative Pronoun Constructions. In M. LaMendola, & J. Scott (Eds.), Proceedings of the 41st Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development (Vol. 1, pp. 74-87). (BUCLD; Vol. 41). Cascadilla Press. http://www.lingref.com/bucld/41/BUCLD41-06.pdf [details]
    • Blom, E., Cornips, L., & Schaeffer, J. (Eds.) (2017). Cross-linguistic Influence in Bilingualism: In honor of Aafke Hulk. (Studies in Bilingualism; Vol. 52). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.52 [details]

    2015

    • Aboh, E. O., Schaeffer, J. C., & Sleeman, P. (2015). Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2013: Selected Papers from 'Going Romance' Amsterdam 2013. (Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory; No. 8). Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/rllt.8 [details]

    2012

    • Schaeffer, J. (2012). Specific Language Impairment - Evidence for the division of labor and the interaction between grammar and pragmatics. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing. [details]

    2015

    2017

    • Berends, S., Sleeman, A. P., Schaeffer, J. C., & Hulk, A. C. J. (2017). The acquisition of the Dutch quantitative pronoun ER: The role of background language(s)". Poster session presented at Bilingualism vs. Monolingualism, Toulouse, France.
    • Keydeniers, D. J., Eliazer, J., & Schaeffer, J. C. (2017). Overgeneration of de/the in young children: Comparing different methods and different theories in child Dutch. Poster session presented at Boston University Conference on Language Development, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

    2015

    Membership / relevant position

    • Schaeffer, J. (2020). Selection Committee NWO Vici grants 2020-2021, VICI-selectiecommissie (NWO).
    • Schaeffer, J. (2018). Selection Committee NWO Vidi grants 2018-2019, VIDI commissie NWO.

    Journal editor

    • Schaeffer, J. (editor) (2018). Glossa (Journal).
    • Schaeffer, J. (member of editorial board) (2015-2021). Applied Psycholinguistics (Journal).
    • Schaeffer, J. (reviewer), Tsimpli, I. M. (reviewer) & Blom, W. B. T. (reviewer) (2015). Lingua (Journal).
    • Schaeffer, J. (editor) (2003-). Language Acquisition (Journal).

    Talk / presentation

    • Schaeffer, J. (speaker) (10-2-2017). Een vergelijking tussen taalproblemen in kinderen met ASS en kinderen met SLI/TOS., Kennisdag Koninklijke Nederlandse Kentalis.
    • Schaeffer, J. (speaker) (1-11-2016). Are children with High-Functioning Autism better at syntax than typically developing children? The case of Dutch Object Relative clauses., Boston University Conference on Language Development.
    • Schaeffer, J. (speaker) (6-4-2016). Taalmoeilijkheden in kinderen met een Autisme Spectrum Stoornis., Autisme Week .

    Others

    • Schaeffer, J. (organiser) (15-11-2021). LACA (Language And Communication in Autism): Zoom Meeting 15 November 2021 (organising a conference, workshop, ...).
    • Schaeffer, J. (participant), Novogrodsky, R. (participant), Tsimpli, I. (participant), Peristeri, E. (participant), Panzeri, F. (participant), Mazzaggio, G. (participant), Giustolisi, B. (participant), Silleresi, S. (participant), Surian, L. (participant) & Meir, N. (participant) (7-11-2021). Pragmatic deficits in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Boston (participating in a conference, workshop, ...).
    • Arche, M. (organiser), van Hout, A. (organiser), Perovic, A. (organiser), Quer, J. (organiser), Schulz, P. (organiser) & Schaeffer, J. (organiser) (27-9-2021 - 1-10-2021). NIAS/Lorentz Workshop: Language Attainment for All, Leiden (organising a conference, workshop, ...).
    • Schoenmakers, G.-J. (participant), Poortvliet, M. (participant) & Schaeffer, J. (participant) (16-9-2021). Poznan Linguistics Meeting, Poznan (participating in a conference, workshop, ...).
    • Schaeffer, J. (organiser) (19-4-2021). LACA (Language And Communication in Autism), Amsterdam (organising a conference, workshop, ...).
    • Schaeffer, J. (organiser) (9-12-2020). LACA (Language and Communication in Autism), Amsterdam (organising a conference, workshop, ...).
    • Schaeffer, J. (organiser) & Prévost, P. (organiser) (1-4-2019 - 3-4-2019). Language Abilities in Children with Autism, Tours. Language Abilities in Children with Autism - Base-line tests to test Linguistic and extra-linguistic abilities in children with ASD (organising a conference, workshop, ...).
    • Schaeffer, J. (participant) (25-6-2018 - 26-6-2018). Child Language Symposium, Reading (participating in a conference, workshop, ...).
    • Schaeffer, J. (participant) (23-6-2018 - 24-6-2018). Language Abilities in Children with Autism, Reading (organising a conference, workshop, ...). http://laca.humanities.uva.nl/wp/
    • Schaeffer, J. (participant) (15-1-2018 - 16-1-2018). Language Abilities in Children with Autism, Milan (organising a conference, workshop, ...). http://laca.humanities.uva.nl/wp/
    • Schaeffer, J. (organiser) (22-3-2017 - 24-3-2017). Workshop: Language Abilities in Children with Autism, Amsterdam (organising a conference, workshop, ...). http://laca.humanities.uva.nl/wp/
    • Schaeffer, J. (organiser), Blom, W. B. T. (organiser) & Cornips, L. (organiser) (13-1-2017). Workshop: Crosslinguistics Influence in Bilingualism, Amsterdam (organising a conference, workshop, ...).
    • Schaeffer, J. (participant) (2017). International Kick-off Workshop Language Abilities. (Morpho)syntax, pragmatics and extra-linguistics cognition in Dutch-speaking children with HFA and with SLI. (participating in a conference, workshop, ...).

    2019

    • Berends, S. (2019). Acquiring Dutch quantitative ER. [Thesis, fully internal, Universiteit van Amsterdam]. LOT. [details]
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  • Ancillary activities
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