Acquisition part 1 Flashcards
What is the task of first language acquisition?
Babies learn to process speech and acquire language quickly and consistently.
What did Chomsky & Halle (1968) say about first language acquisition?
Children acquire abstract grammar rapidly, under non-ideal conditions.
How does infant speech perception develop?
Babies perceive speech before producing it, distinguishing sounds universally at first.
What is the high-amplitude sucking paradigm?
It measures babies’ sucking rates to detect speech sound changes.
What is the head-turning paradigm?
Babies turn their heads in response to changes in speech sounds.
How do infants discriminate speech sounds?
They can initially distinguish any sounds but lose non-native contrasts by 12 months.
What are stages of pre-linguistic production?
- Reflexive vocalisations (e.g., crying)
- Cooing
- Vocal play
- Babbling
- Jargon / first word
What phonological errors occur in young children?
Substitutions, assimilations, and reductions in speech sounds.
What is substitution in phonological development?
Replacing one sound with another, like “see” → [ti].
What is assimilation in phonological development?
Sounds become similar to neighboring sounds, like “dog” → [gog].
What is reduction in phonological development?
Simplifying consonant clusters, e.g., “store” → [stoː].
What factors affect phonological development?
Motor and perceptual system development, plus individual variation.
What are physiological constraints in phonological development?
Brain, motor, and perceptual systems influence phonological development, e.g., confusing [f] and [θ].
How do fine motor skills affect phonology?
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.
What are natural processes in phonological development?
Substitution, assimilation, and reduction of sounds.
What is individual variation in phonological development?
Children’s phonological development varies, with non-linear patterns and idiosyncratic stages, often influenced by L1.
What is categorical perception of speech?
Infants categorize speech sounds based on their native language.
What is the pre-linguistic period?
It’s the stage before producing words, including reflexive vocalizations, cooing, babbling, and first words.
What are reflexive vocalizations?
Sounds like crying, grunting, and coughing, reflecting the baby’s physical experience (birth-2 months).
What is cooing?
Voluntary, non-reflexive sounds with velar consonants and back vowels (2-4 months).
What is vocal play?
Exploration of the vocal tract, including variations in pitch and loudness (4-6 months).
What is babbling?
Repeated CV syllables starting at 6+ months, initially reduplicated (e.g., [ba, ba]) and later variegated (e.g., [ba, gi]).
How do sounds in babbling develop?
Early sounds are common across languages, while later sounds reflect the baby’s language(s).
What is jargon in the pre-linguistic period?
Strings of sounds with adult-like stress and intonation, including eye contact, gestures, and turn-taking (10+ months).
When do babies start using first real words?
Around 10+ months, they use words with real referents, like “hi” and “bye.”
How do early words relate to babbling?
Early words often follow babbling structures, like CV or CVCV, and use similar sounds.
What is a common feature of early word formation?
Unstressed syllables and final consonants may be dropped.
