Chapter 6

Question 1

what are two things that children need to be able to do for language development

Answer 1

comprehension
production

Question 2

comprehension

Answer 2

understand what others say to you

Question 3

production

Answer 3

be able to produce language through talking, writing, signing, etc

Question 4

what is required for language

Answer 4

human brain (universal grammar (chomsky))
human environment (behaviourism (skinner))

Question 5

explain universal grammar (chomsky)

Answer 5

Nature

Argued Skinner is wrong

Chomsky thought infants will understand and produce sentences they have never heard before, therefore it can’t be the environment. Innate skill to learn language innately

Universal grammar: Children all over the world share certain universal grammar rules

Question 6

human environment (behaviourism (skinner))

Answer 6

Nurture

Skinner is the psychologist behind operant conditioning and taught rats to press levers

Children learn language through reinforcement and punishment

Question 7

human brain (nature) in language development

Answer 7

species specific
species universal
brain lateralization
sensitive period

Question 8

Language is species-specific

Answer 8

Language development is specific to humans
Language being natural
Humans are the only ones with developed language to learn. Other animals have more basic ways to communicate (ex: mating calls)

Question 9

language is species-universal

Answer 9

Within all humans, language development is achieved by typically developing children around the world

Argue that an infant will learn language before they are directly taught, innate and natural

Question 9

brain lateralization in language development

Answer 9

Opposite sides of the brain that impact language development

Around 90% of right-handed people learn language using the left side of the brain

Question 10

Sensitive period of language development

Answer 10

The period where it’s really easy to learn new words and languages

Ages 5-10ish to learn a full language sweet spot

Mostly due in part to brain development and how the brain is maturing

Some people think it’s easier to learn a language at this time due to motivation

Kids have an easier time digesting bite-sized info than adults. Words are bite-sized, so they may have an easier time learning language

When sensitive period is skipped, language is always at a deficit, trying unsuccessfully to catch up

Question 11

infant directed speech (IDS)

Answer 11

environment, nurture

Will learn language by listening and imitation

Adults use baby talk to talk to babies (aka infant directed speech)

In another language: Know that that pitch and tone is something they should pay attention to, even if it’s not in their own language

Question 12

features of IDS

Answer 12

Greater pitch variability

Shorter utterances

More word repetition

Slower speech

More questions

Enhanced clarity of vowels

Exaggerated facial features

Large rhythmic modulations

Question 13

another name for IDS

Answer 13

Also referred to as “parentese” or “motherese”

Question 14

________ is a common component of IDS

Answer 14

sportscasting

Giving narrative of what you’re doing/ what’s going on
Tell infant what’s going on, what you’re seeing, etc

Question 15

Process/ steps of language acquisition

Answer 15

1. speech perception
2. word segments/segmentation
3. prep for production
4. first words
5. joining words/ putting words together
6. conversational skills
7. later development

Question 16

speech perception in the process of language acquisition

Answer 16

Before being able to understand speech, they have to know that speech is a thing

Child shows preference to mothers voice and language from the womb

prosody

categorical perception

Question 17

Word segments/ segmentation in the process of language acquisition

Answer 17

Start to learn that when you join together sounds it makes words

Start being able to segment and separate words around 6 months

Stress patterning

Distributional properties of speech

Name recognition

Question 18

stress patterning

Answer 18

Paying attention to first syllable because that’s the syllable that gets stressed more. When they hear that first syllable being stressed more, that’s a hint that a new word is starting

Question 19

Distributional properties of speech

Answer 19

Learning that certain sounds go together (ex: Sh sound)

Recognizing and collecting and using these common sounds to figure out when a new word is starting

Starts a few days after birth, knows something different is going on

Question 20

Name recognition

Answer 20

Recognizing their own name helps with understanding what word is which

Being able to pick out their own name in a conversation

Ex: knows that their name is an independent word, so whatever comes after is a new word (this is Bob’s cup)

Question 21

prep for production in the process of language acquisition

Answer 21

ex) Coo (ooohh, aaahh, 6-8 weeks), sigh, smacks lips, click tongue, squeal, silly playful sounds, babbling (papapapa,babababa, 6-10 months)

Start gaining control of mouth movement to make sounds

Cooing: drawn-out vowel sounds

Realizing that the sounds they make prompt attention from adults

Realizing that language is a two way street with back and forth

Babbling happens later, not just repeating or drawing out vowels. Vowels and consonants being repeated

Question 22

first words in the process of language acquisition

Answer 22

word recognition and word production

Question 23

word recognition

Answer 23

Start being able to differentiate that words mean different things and be able to tell what each one is

Then they will be able to predict some simple words just by hearing the first syllable or two

Question 24

word production (common first words)

Answer 24

Common first words: Family members, pets, important objects in the environment, modifiers, then what’s happening in simple ways (ex: all gone)

Question 25

Joining words/ putting words together in the process of language acquisition

Answer 25

Starting to say brief small sentences Telegraphic speech Starting to understand grammar rules Overregulation but also making overgeneralizations (ex: an s always makes stuff plural: man→ mans)

Question 26

telegraphic speech

Answer 26

As short as two words Grouping words to form a sentence, but missing keywords

Question 27

conversational skills in the process of language acquisition

Answer 27

Private speech Egocentric speech Narrative Pragmatic development

Question 28

private speech

Answer 28

Internal thoughts out loud. Narrating what they’re doing out loud

Question 29

Egocentric speech (collective monologues)

Answer 29

In own world Not really conversing. Haven’t learned about the back-and-forth of talking to people

Question 30

narrative conversational skills

Answer 30

Around age 5 be able to tell stories with beginning middle end, and key points of the story are there

Question 31

Pragmatic development

Answer 31

Learn about unique ways to use words like sarcasm, irony, etc

Question 32

Later development in the process of language acquisition

Answer 32

Start developing language in more advanced ways: -Reflect upon and analyze conversations -Multiple meanings of words -More complex grammar -Use of language in humour (e.g. puns)

Question 33

Common mistakes in language development (first words)

Answer 33

Leave out difficult parts of words e.g., “banana” → “nana” “Daniella” → “yaya” Replace hard-to-say sounds with easier ones e.g., “rabbit” → “wabbit” Reorder parts of words to put easier sounds first e.g., “spaghetti” → “pisketti” Overextension e.g., “dog” = any four-legged animal Underextension e.g., “cat” = only your cat, not the neighbour’s cat

Question 34

Learning words (first words) for Children

Answer 34

Mutual exclusivity (each object has one name) Whole-object assumption (learn and understand that a term means the whole thing, ex: rabbit= whole animal, not just fluffy tail) Pragmatic cues (knowing words will be used in the same context) Emotional responses (infer from facial expressions?) Shape (recognize objects by shape, even when different colours) Cross-situational word learning (when a child confirms the meaning of a word when they see it in multiple places) Syntactic bootstrapping (when they use grammar to understand meaning of word)

Question 35

Ways Adults contribute to language development

Answer 35

IDS (infant directed speech) Naming games (where’s your belly?) Optimal opportunities (taking opportunities to teach about things) Distinct contexts (helping children understand that words are used in specific contexts) Spatial consistency (recognizing that certain words will always be used in the same space)

Question 36

Language development and socioeconomic status: Research has shown that children in lower socioeconomic homes are exposed to less talking and have smaller vocabularies, why?

Answer 36

Lower exposure to language Less education Resources in a community may not be accessible (lex: library far away) May live in a noisier environment, which may make it harder to pick out the words Maybe living in a more crowded living environment

Question 37

Non-linguistic symbols

Answer 37

Ways child is communicating, but not with words

Question 38

Dual representation (symbols)

Answer 38

When an object/thing represents something other than itself Another name for symbolism When a child realizes that something represents something other than what it actually is (heart=love) Ex: branch=sword Children may have a hard time understanding self-symbols Symbols that represent self Ex: child SA victims have a hard time pointing to doll parts because they don’t understand that it’s meant to represent the Later, children understand this better

Question 39

Drawings

Answer 39

Start with random scribbles: Practicing type of behaviour to get ready to draw something Age 3-4, start to become more intentional and draw actual things. Simple drawings. Key features to get to the point. Tadpole drawing (drawing arms legs, head, no torso)- think Ana drawing when she was little Universal drawings, like a house- square with triangle formula. Sunglasses on sun

Question 40

Language use requires comprehension, which refers to

Answer 40

understanding what others say (or sign or write), and production, which refers to speaking (or signing or writing)

Question 41

what does it mean that language is species-specific behaviour

Answer 41

only humans acquire language in the normal course of development

Question 42

what does it mean that language is species-universal behaviour

Answer 42

language learning is achieved by typically developing children across the globe.

Question 43

The evidence for a sensitive period in language acquisition has clear practical implications:

Answer 43

deaf children should be exposed to sign language as early as possible to ensure access to a native language during the sensitive period. foreign language exposure at school should begin as early as possible to maximize children’s opportunity to achieve native-level skills.

Question 44

a word uttered with sharply falling pitch communicates _______, whereas a cooed warm sound indicates _______

Answer 44

disapproval approval

Question 45

infants prefer ___ to ADS, even when the ___ is in a language other than their own

Answer 45

IDS

Question 46

perceptual narrowing

Answer 46

used to describe infants’ increasing specialization, including poorer discrimination of non-native faces and music at later ages. The same type of process unfolds for speech perception. Infants increasingly home in on the speech sounds of their native language and eventually become less sensitive to the differences between non-native speech sounds

Question 47

intersubjectivity and its foundation

Answer 47

two interacting partners share a mutual understanding The foundation of intersubjectivity is joint attention, in which the caregiver follows the baby’s lead, looking at and commenting on whatever the infant is looking at

Question 48

bilingual and trilingual infants, who are accustomed to hearing more than one name for a given object, are less likely to follow the ______________________ in word learning and, unlike monolingual infants, are unsurprised when an object has more than one name

Answer 48

mutual-exclusivity assumption

Question 49

A crucial aspect of becoming a good conversational partner is the ___________ that allows children to understand how language is used to communicate.

Answer 49

pragmatic development

Question 49

Vygotsky believed that young children’s private speech serves as a strategy to...

Answer 49

organize their actions Gradually, private speech is internalized as thought, and children become capable of mentally organizing their behaviour, so they no longer need to talk out loud to themselves.