Chapter One- Introduction to Language Development Flashcards
What are the key components in the definition of language?
- System: a shared code of understanding of the rules of the language, all languages have rules
- Symbols- words, written, signs
- Purpose- communicate needs and wants, and to connect with others
- Generativity- can create new sentences, infinite number
What is Receptive Language and give an example
The understanding and comprehension of language
eg. following directions or understanding a question
What is Expressive Language and give an example
what you say or do to communicate, this is the production of language
eg. requesting for more of something, using vocabulary, using grammar, word order
What is Social Language and give an example
The rules for social interaction
eg. turn-taking, acknowledgement, greetings
Explain the universality of language
-language is a characteristic of the human species, all human children have the capacity to acquire language
What is speech?
- speech is the exchange of information through speaking or talking.
- The neuromuscular act of talking
- human vocal tract is unique and converts breathe into sounds
What is language?
- language is the systematic and conventional use of sounds (or signs or written symbols) for the purpose of communication or self expression.
What is communication ? What are the 3 requirements of communication?
Communication is a broad term that includes linguistic and non-linguistic communication
- this requires a sender and receiver
- the shared intent to communicate
- share means of communication
What are the 5 elements of language?
- Phonology
- Morphology
- Syntax
- Semantics/ Lexicon
- Pragmatics
Define and give an example of morphology
Morphology: is the system of rules for combining the smallest units of language into words, this is grammar
eg. past tense, adding /s/ to the end of a word
- adding /s/ or -ed to the end of a word is an example of a morpheme
Define and give an example of syntax
Syntax: the component of grammar that governs the ordering of words in a sentence (word order)
eg. knowing that “ran I to store”
Define and give an example of semantics/ lexicon
- this is the mental storage of words
eg. knowing the meanings of words and how to form new words
Define and give an example of pragmatics
- the transmittal of information to others in socially appropriate ways, these are our social language skills
eg. making requests, comments, narratives
The importance of cognition in language development
cognition and social interaction are both necessary of language development
- attention: to words and sounds, if there is no attention you cannot understand
- memory: as memory increases, language increases
- word knowledge: make new words as you learn about the world
- executive functioning: ability to control many brain functions at once
The importance of social interaction in language development
cognition and social interaction are both necessary for language development
- serve and return: listening and responding
- getting what you want and need
- motivation and learning
What is the timeline of language development (chronological overview)
- Language development begins around 7 months in utero and makes rapid development through preschool years (until age 5) though language development never ends
- children typically get their first word around 1 years of age
- children typically reach major milestones at similar ages and in the same order
What are the nature impacts on language development ?
- the parts of language that is accounted for directly by the child
- Nativist theory: there is a pre existing structure in the brain that allows children to learn language
What are the nurture impacts on language development ?
- the part of language that is accounted for by their life experiences with language
- Empiricist theory: the mind is a blank slate and all knowledge comes from experience.
What did we learn from “Wild Children”?
- wild children: are children that are raised in social and linguistic isolation
eg.
1. Wild boy of Aveyron- lived in the woods alone till age 12 and could not speak (1800)
2. Genie- locked in her room by her parents for the first 13 years of her life she was not able to use the washroom alone or speak
-findings from these studies suggested that there is a critical period where there is a critical window of time where learning language needs to happen or they will not be able to learn language at all
What is the Language Acquisition Device? Who created it?
- LAD: everything that is part of the adults knowledge of language (ie. the output of the device) must be in the input, be in the internal device, or somehow result from the way the device operates on the input it receives
- Noam Chomsky (focused on grammar)
- internal mental structure that functions like a device (something in the brain focuses on this)
Patricia Kuhl’s Study: The linguistic genius of babies
- what is learnt in the first years of the child’s life is built on in the future
what is the Behaviourist Theory
- all aspects of behaviour, including language, can and must be explained by focusing on observable and measurable aspects of behaviour
- learning behaviour is through relating stimuli to responses (seeing a ball and hearing the word ball)
- children hear words through imitation
- parents reinforce their childs attempts to speak
- blank slates
- imitation does not work
what is the Generativist Theory
- language Is too complex and fragmented for children to be able to figure out and teach themselves
