Child acquisition theory

Question 1

Noam Chomsky 1960s

Answer 1

Nature
Nativist theory
Humans have an inbuilt capacity to acquire language
children are born with an inherited ability to learn any human language

Question 2

Chomsky key concepts

Answer 2

• All children have LAD - language acquisition device
• encodes the major principles of a language and its grammatical structures into the child’s brain.
• theory is universal, applies to all language, they share similar grammer

Question 3

Arguments in favour of Chomsky

Answer 3

• All children experience the same stages of language acquisition at the same ages no matter what language. Suggests there is something guiding them in the process.
• Children resist correction from their parents. If they are corrected, they make the mistake again, suggests something in their brain controlling their language.
• some mistakes made by children cannot be through imitation only. E.g. irregular verbs
• Wug test - Jean Berko, children can apply rules of grammar to nonsense words they have never heard before. Proves not by memory

Question 4

Arguments against Chomsky

Answer 4

• He did not make any distinction about age e.g. problem with feral children
• Genie
• Children eventually stop using over generalisations and vitreous errors. Suggests they do learn via imitation
• Only looked at grammar, not other frameworks e.g. pragmatics

Question 5

Eric Lenneberg 1967

Answer 5

Nature
Nativist theory
Agrees with Chomsky- innate language device

Question 6

Lenneberg key concepts

Answer 6

• children have a certain amount of time to acquire a language
• critical period- children’s LAD must be activated with sufficient input within age of 5-12

Question 7

Arguments in favour of Lenneberg

Answer 7

-Explains problem with feral children e.g. Genie

Question 8

Arguments against Lenneberg

Answer 8

-Doesn’t explain how children stop making virtuous errors and learn irregular features. E.g. irregular verbs

Question 9

Genie

Answer 9

• She was locked away from normal civilisation and was underdeveloped physically and emotionally
• An infant trapped in a 13 year old body, could only make infant like sounds. no words or sentences
• proves social interaction with caregiver is vital for development

Question 10

B.F Skinner 1948

Answer 10

Nurture
Behaviorist theory
Language is acquired through imitation and reinforcement

Question 11

B.F Skinner key concepts

Answer 11

• Nurture
• Language is acquired through imitation and reinforcement
• positive/ negative Reinforcement and operant conditioning

Question 12

Arguments in favour for Skinner

Answer 12

• children have the same accent/dialect as their parents
• if their parents make grammatical mistakes, children will also make the mistakes
• children learn politeness and pragmatic aspect from their parents
• children repeat lexemes they have heard around them

Question 13

Arguments against Skinner

Answer 13

• Parents do not say virtuous errors. Does not account for children inventions of language
• parents focus on grammatical correctness, children find meanings more important

Question 14

Jerome Bruner

Answer 14

Nurutre
Social Interactionist theory
Child language is developed through interaction with adults

Question 15

Jerome Bruner key concepts

Answer 15

• children have LASS - language acquisition support system
• caregivers support their children’s linguistic development in social situations, by interacting and encouraging the child to respond
• caregivers are key to development
• Bruner focuses on that there must be a significant input from their parents for language to be learnt
• looked at social activities&social conventions that teach children

Question 16

Arguments in favour of Bruner

Answer 16

• Interaction seems to teach children about spoken discourse e.g. turn taking
• Pragmatic development suggests children do learn politeness and verbally acceptable behavior
• role play and pretend play suggest that more interaction with carers increases VOCAB
• Halliday functions
• Vincent Cs: born to deaf parents, who communicated via sign language. Encouraged him to watch TV to speak. By 3, he was still speechless. TV is no substitute to real life people!
• Jim cs: born to deaf parents. Relied on tv. Only began to rapidly progress when with a speech therapist. Needs gesture & interaction

Question 17

Arguments against Bruner

Answer 17

• Parents from cultures that do not promote interaction with children can become articulate fluent language users without adult input
• Papa new guinea - no social interaction with parents for a while. No child directed speech. Did not experience late or impaired development

Question 18

Jean Piaget

Answer 18

Cognitive theory

Language acquisition is part of a wider development of understanding that develops

Question 19

Jean Piaget key concepts

Answer 19

• A child cannot be taught something until they are mentally ready to learn it
• argues children cannot learn complex sentences/structures until they reached mental capacity
• interaction with people helps develop cognition

Question 20

Arguments in favour of Piaget

Answer 20

• Children produce utterances which increases in complexity as they work towards mastering a rule
• Browns morphemes
• Bellugi’s stages of pronoun and question formation

Question 21

Arguments against Piaget

Answer 21

• Fis phenomenon - suggests children cognitive understanding can be present but their physical development still impacts their development

Question 22

Lev Vygotsky

Answer 22

Nurture
Cognitive and social interactionist theory
- Language acquisition is part of a wider development of understanding that develops
-Child language is developed through interaction with adults

Question 23

Vygotsky key concepts

Answer 23

• caregiver is MKO
• scaffolding to help child to successfully cross the ZPD via interrogatives and demonstaration
• social constructing
• focused on imaginative play during pre-operational stage
• child talking to themselves = cognitive development