Acquisition part 1

Question 1

What is the task of first language acquisition?

Answer 1

Babies learn to process speech and acquire language quickly and consistently.

Question 2

What did Chomsky & Halle (1968) say about first language acquisition?

Answer 2

Children acquire abstract grammar rapidly, under non-ideal conditions.

Question 3

How does infant speech perception develop?

Answer 3

Babies perceive speech before producing it, distinguishing sounds universally at first.

Question 4

What is the high-amplitude sucking paradigm?

Answer 4

It measures babies’ sucking rates to detect speech sound changes.

Question 5

What is the head-turning paradigm?

Answer 5

Babies turn their heads in response to changes in speech sounds.

Question 6

How do infants discriminate speech sounds?

Answer 6

They can initially distinguish any sounds but lose non-native contrasts by 12 months.

Question 7

What are stages of pre-linguistic production?

Answer 7

• Reflexive vocalisations (e.g., crying)
• Cooing
• Vocal play
• Babbling
• Jargon / first word

Question 8

What phonological errors occur in young children?

Answer 8

Substitutions, assimilations, and reductions in speech sounds.

Question 9

What is substitution in phonological development?

Answer 9

Replacing one sound with another, like “see” → [ti].

Question 10

What is assimilation in phonological development?

Answer 10

Sounds become similar to neighboring sounds, like “dog” → [gog].

Question 11

What is reduction in phonological development?

Answer 11

Simplifying consonant clusters, e.g., “store” → [stoː].

Question 12

What factors affect phonological development?

Answer 12

Motor and perceptual system development, plus individual variation.

Question 13

What are physiological constraints in phonological development?

Answer 13

Brain, motor, and perceptual systems influence phonological development, e.g., confusing [f] and [θ].

Question 14

How do fine motor skills affect phonology?

Answer 14

Fine motor skills impact phonology by enabling control over speech sounds. Limited motor control in children often leads to simplified or substituted sounds in early speech.

Question 15

What are natural processes in phonological development?

Answer 15

Substitution, assimilation, and reduction of sounds.

Question 16

What is individual variation in phonological development?

Answer 16

Children’s phonological development varies, with non-linear patterns and idiosyncratic stages, often influenced by L1.

Question 17

What is categorical perception of speech?

Answer 17

Infants categorize speech sounds based on their native language.

Question 18

What is the pre-linguistic period?

Answer 18

It’s the stage before producing words, including reflexive vocalizations, cooing, babbling, and first words.

Question 19

What are reflexive vocalizations?

Answer 19

Sounds like crying, grunting, and coughing, reflecting the baby’s physical experience (birth-2 months).

Question 20

What is cooing?

Answer 20

Voluntary, non-reflexive sounds with velar consonants and back vowels (2-4 months).

Question 21

What is vocal play?

Answer 21

Exploration of the vocal tract, including variations in pitch and loudness (4-6 months).

Question 22

What is babbling?

Answer 22

Repeated CV syllables starting at 6+ months, initially reduplicated (e.g., [ba, ba]) and later variegated (e.g., [ba, gi]).

Question 23

How do sounds in babbling develop?

Answer 23

Early sounds are common across languages, while later sounds reflect the baby’s language(s).

Question 24

What is jargon in the pre-linguistic period?

Answer 24

Strings of sounds with adult-like stress and intonation, including eye contact, gestures, and turn-taking (10+ months).

Question 25

When do babies start using first real words?

Answer 25

Around 10+ months, they use words with real referents, like “hi” and “bye.”

Question 26

How do early words relate to babbling?

Answer 26

Early words often follow babbling structures, like CV or CVCV, and use similar sounds.

Question 27

What is a common feature of early word formation?

Answer 27

Unstressed syllables and final consonants may be dropped.