Child Language Acquisition Flashcards
What is the primary goal of using child-directed speech (CDS)?
To simplify communication so children can more easily understand and acquire language.
When an adult uses a higher pitch and exaggerated intonation while talking to a baby, what is the purpose of this?
To help maintain the baby’s attention and interest.
What is a common strategy used in CDS to encourage language development by expanding on the child’s utterance?
Recasting
What does “recasting” mean in child-directed speech?
Repeating the child’s sentence in a grammatically correct or more complex form.
When a child says “doggy run” and the adult responds, “Yes, the dog is running!” this is an example of
E _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Expansion
Why is a slower speech tempo often used in child-directed speech?
It gives the child more time to process the sounds and meaning.
Which strategy involves repeating what a child says in a more sophisticated or grammatically correct way?
Expansion
“Parental scaffolding” is a key feature in child-directed speech. What does this involve?
Gradually adjusting the complexity of language to match the child’s growing abilities.
What is the function of repetition in child-directed speech?
To build the child’s confidence in understanding and using language.
When talking to children, why do adults often emphasise and repeat key words?
To help the child focus on important words and their meanings.
Talking to yourself out loud about what you’re doing, especially when a child is watching is a CDS strategy called:
S _ _ _ T _ _ _
Self Talk
Asking open-ended questions and waiting for their response could be described as a feature of what?
Child Directed Speech
What is “substitution” in the context of phonological errors?
Replacing one sound with another, often easier, sound.
A child says “pat” instead of “cat.” This is an example of:
S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Substitution
What is the term for a child’s tendency to replace a difficult sound with a simpler one, such as “w” for “r” (e.g., saying “wabbit” for “rabbit”)?
Substitution
When a child omits the final consonant in a word, for example, saying “ca” instead of “cat,” this is called:
(Final consonant) deletion
What is “consonant cluster reduction”?
When a child omits one or more consonants in a group of consonants (e.g., “poon” for “spoon”).
A child says “gog” instead of “dog.” What type of error is this?
Assimilation
“Reduplication” occurs when a child repeats a
W _ _ _ _ S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (e.g., “baba” for “bottle”)
Whole Syllable
A child says “nana” instead of “banana.” What kind of phonological process is this?
Deletion of an unstressed syllable
What is “assimilation” in phonological errors?
Changing a sound to make it more like another sound in the word (e.g., “gog” for “dog”).
A child says “tee” instead of “tree.” What type of phonological error is this?
Consonant cluster reduction
What does “deletion of an unstressed syllable” refer to?
Removing the quieter, less emphasized syllable in a word (e.g., saying “nana” for “banana”).
A child says “pider” instead of “spider.” This is an example of:
Consonant cluster reduction
According to Bruner, what is the primary factor that drives language development in children?
Social interaction and communication with caregivers
What is the name of the supportive framework that adults provide to help children learn language, according to Bruner?
Language Acquisition Support System (LASS)
The gradual removal of support as the child becomes more competent. What aspect of social interactionism would this describe?
Scaffolding
Bruner emphasized the importance of interaction between children and adults in structured, routine settings. What is the term for these repetitive interactions, like mealtime or story time, that support language learning?
Scaffolding routines
What is the role of the Language Acquisition Support System (LASS) in Bruner’s theory?
It represents the external social and cultural framework that supports language learning.
How does Bruner’s theory of social interactionism differ from Chomsky’s theory of language acquisition?
Bruner emphasises social interaction and cultural context, while Chomsky focuses on an innate language acquisition device.
In Bruner’s view, the interactional routines used by caregivers when speaking to children help achieve what goal?
Structuring the environment to make language predictable and easier to learn.
What is the term for the way adults modify their speech patterns when talking to young children, a concept central to Bruner’s theory?
Child-directed speech
In what way does Bruner’s concept of scaffolding change over time during a child’s language development?
The adult provides less structured guidance as the child becomes more independent.
What is Bruner’s primary criticism of theories that focus solely on the innate biological mechanisms for language development?
They underestimate the role of social interaction and cultural context in language learning.
According to Skinner’s behaviourism, how do children learn language?
By imitating adults and receiving reinforcement
What type of reinforcement is central to Skinner’s explanation of how children acquire language?
Negative reinforcement
When a child says “milk” and the caregiver responds by giving the child milk and praising them, this is an example of P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ R _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Positive reinforcement
A child repeats words or phrases they hear from adults.
What would Skinner call this?
Imitation
What does Skinner mean by operant conditioning in the context of language development?
Language learning occurs as a result of reinforcement and consequences.
How does Skinner’s theory explain the development of more complex sentences in children?
Caregivers provide reinforcement as children attempt increasingly complex speech.
Which theory is most clearly associated with virtuous errors? Why is this?
Nativism - because it shows children apply grammatical rules without being taught them
What is a virtuous error?
A logical mistake - where a grammatical rule is applied to an irregular form e.g. I runned using a regular -ed inflection
How many morphemes are in the following sentence?
‘The doggies runned over there’
7
What is a morpheme?
The smallest unit of meaning
Name the phonological error: The doggy goes over there
Addition
Name the phonological error: Can I see babbit [rabbit]?
Assimilation
Name the phonological error: I eat yogyog
Reduplication
Name the phonological error: I eat with poon
Consonant Cluster reduction
Name the phonological error: Where mote [tv remote] gone?
Deletion of unstressed syllables
Name the phonological error: my ca [cat] says miaow
Deletion
Name the phonological error: The lowwy [lorry] makes a big noise
Substitution
Which theory of child language acquisition is this: the view that language is acquired through imitation and reinforcement
Behaviourism
Which theory of child language acquisition is this: that language acquisition is part of a wider development of understanding
Cognitivism
Which theory of child language acquisition is this: the view that humans have an inbuilt capacity to acquire language
Nativism
Which theory of child language acquisition is this: the view that child language is developed through close interaction with carers
Social Interactionism
What are the five main theory perspectives of child language development?
- Behaviourism
- Social interactionism
- Nativism
- Cognitivism
- Usage-based/functionalism
Who is the main theorist attached to the behaviourism theory?
Skinner
Bruner is linked to which theory perspective?
Social Interactionism
Who is the main theorist linked to Nativism?
Chomsky
Berko-Gleason and Ursula Bellugi’s theories link to which perspective?
Nativism
Which two theorists do we most associate with cognitivism?
Piaget & Vygotsky
Which theory perspective are Tomasello, Deb Roy and Halliday linked to?
Usage-based/functionalism
What are three key terms related to the behaviorist perspective?
O___C______
N____ R_______
I_______
- Operant conditioning
- Negative reinforcement
- Imitation
How many marks is the Child Language question worth - how is it split between the AOs?
The question is worth 30 marks, equally split between AO1 (language features) and AO2 (language ideas, concepts, and studies)
What are three types of overextensions?
- Categorical overextension
- Analogical overextension
- Mismatch statements
A child uses the word “apple” to refer to all round fruits. What type of error?
Categorical Overextension
A child uses the word “ball” to refer to a round fruit. What type of error?
Analogical overextension
A child says “duck” while looking at an empty pond.
Mismatch statement
Name 5 key features of CDS
- More pronounced intonation
- Higher or melodic pitch
- Simplified vocabulary
- Repeated grammatical frames
- Simplified grammar
- Tag questions
- Actions accompanying speech
- Recasting of a child’s mistakes
- More visible lip and mouth movements
- Repetition
- Using the child’s name rather than pronouns
- Using the present tense
- Using one-word utterances or short elliptical sentences
- Fewer verbs and modifiers
- Using concrete nouns
- Using expansions
- Yes/no questioning
- Exaggerated pauses
- Mitigated imperatives
What does CDS stand for?
Child Directed Speech
What did Deb Roy’s Speechome Project do?
He captured video and audio footage of the first 3 years of his son’s life, using cameras in his home.
What did Deb Roy’s Speechome Project find?
- Parents adapted their language to the developmental stage of the child. They initially used simple structures and then increased complexity as the child’s language developed.
- The charting of the word “water” showed experimentation with sound rather than direct copying of parents.
- First words are influenced by context and environment
Titty knickers (referring to a bra) and Lorry poo (referring to brown slush on the road) are examples of what error?
Overextension
What were Katherine Nelson’s (1973) four categories for first words?
- Naming (things or people)
- Actions/events
- Describing/modifying things
- Personal/Social words
What does LAD stand for?
Language Acquisition Device
Who proposed the idea of a LAD?
Chomsky
Who carried out the Wug test experiment?
Jean Berko-Gleason
What is the critical period hypothesis?
The critical period hypothesis states that there is a limited period of time during which a child is most receptive to language acquisition. This period typically begins around age two and ends before puberty
What is the poverty of the stimulus (argued by Chomsky)?
The poverty of the stimulus argument claims that the language a child is exposed to is not sufficient to account for the complexity of their language development. (Children learn far more language than they hear.)
“I runned” instead of “I ran” - what is the error?
Virtuous error. The regular past tense -ed suffix has been added to the irregular verb run.
Which approach/theory to language development is this?
Close connections exist between the forms used toward a child and the order they appear in their language.
This model acknowledges a child’s innate ability to connect language patterns and apply that understanding to their own language output
Usage-based/functionalism
What are some criticisms of the behaviorist approach to language development?
- The behaviorist approach underestimates the complexity of language and a child’s ability to create new utterances.
- The behaviorist approach doesn’t fully account for a child’s ability to produce novel utterances or their “linguistic creativity”
What is vertical scaffolding according to Cazden?
Adults extending a child’s language through questioning.
What is sequential scaffolding according to Cazden?
The support provided by routine activities such as games and meal times.
What are some examples of scaffolding strategies?
- Asking questions to elicit responses
- Expanding on a child’s utterances
- Providing language models
- Offering direct instruction, such as requesting the child to say “thank you”
- Using visual aids, such as books
Why is object permanence important for language development?
Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist, even when they are out of sight. This cognitive milestone is important for language development, as it allows a child to understand that words can represent things that are not immediately present.
What is the difference between the sensori-motor stage and the pre-operational stage?
- Sensori-motor Stage (0-2 years): In this stage, a child primarily interacts with the world through senses and movement. By the end of this stage, they develop object permanence.
- Pre-operational Stage (2-7 years): During this stage, language becomes increasingly important for representation and communication. The child’s thinking is egocentric, meaning they struggle to see things from another’s perspective.
How might a child’s understanding of object permanence be evident in their language use?
A child who has developed object permanence might begin to use words to request objects that are not in sight. They might also start to use words to talk about events that happened in the past, demonstrating an understanding that these events still exist in their memory, even though they are not happening in the present.
What is egocentric speech?
Egocentric speech refers to the way young children often talk without considering the listener’s perspective. They may assume that the listener knows what they are thinking and feeling, even if they have not shared this information.
How does the “whole object assumption” influence a child’s early vocabulary?
The “whole object assumption” suggests that children tend to assume a new word refers to the whole object rather than a part or attribute. This means they are more likely to learn basic nouns for objects first, rather than words for specific features.
Why are concrete nouns often among a child’s first words?
Concrete nouns are easier for children to grasp because they relate to tangible, physical objects they can see and interact with. They align with the “whole object assumption,” where a child assumes a word refers to the entire object rather than its parts.
What is the holophrastic stage?
The holophrastic stage is a period of language development when a child uses single words to convey whole phrases or sentences. For example, the word “milk” could mean “I want milk” or “The milk is all gone”.
What is the two-word stage of language development?
Children start combining words into 2 word utterances. Beginning of syntax/grammar.
What is the telegraphic stage?
The telegraphic stage follows the two-word stage, featuring utterances of three or more words. During the telegraphic stage, some words, particularly grammatical function words, may still be omitted. However, the meaning is usually clear.
What is the post-telegraphic stage?
This stage marks the development of more complex grammar. Children in the post-telegraphic stage start using grammatical words and their utterances closely resemble adult speech.
What are two aspects of grammar? S _ _ _ _ X and M _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Y
Syntax and Morphology
What is morphology?
word structure and formation
What is syntax?
word order and combining words into sentence structures
Adding ‘-ed’ to a verb to indicate the past tense, such as “walked” is an example of what kind of morphology?
Inflectional morphology
What is a pivot word?
A pivot word is a word that a child uses frequently and in combination with other words to create two-word utterances. Pivot words often have a fixed position in the utterance. For example, in the utterances “Mummy back” or “Mummy drink,” “Mummy” acts as the pivot word.
Explain the typical order of acquisition for interrogative pronouns.
“what”, “where”, “why”, then “when”. This order may reflect the increasing cognitive complexity involved in understanding different concepts, such as location, causality, and time
Why might a child be more successful at producing “where” questions before “when” questions?
The concept of location is more concrete and easier for young children to understand than the abstract concept of time. Therefore, “where” questions, which relate to location, are typically acquired before “when” questions, which involve a grasp of time.
How does play support language development?
Play provides a natural and engaging context for language development. Children often use language to negotiate roles, plan actions, and express their ideas during play. The interactive nature of play also encourages communication and social interaction, which are essential for language learning.
How do parents use positive reinforcement to support language development?
Parents often use positive reinforcement, such as praise and attention, to encourage a child to repeat desired language behaviours. For example, a parent might say “Good job!” when a child correctly names an object.
What is negative reinforcement in the context of language development?
Negative reinforcement involves removing an undesirable stimulus to increase a behavior. In the context of language development, this could be ignoring or correcting a child’s incorrect utterance to encourage them to use the correct form.
Why are routines important for language development?
Routines, like bedtime stories or meal times, provide a predictable structure and repeated language exposure, which can support a child’s language development. The familiar context and recurring language patterns help children understand the meaning and function of words and phrases.
What are Bellugi’s three stages of negative formation?
- Using ‘no’ or ‘not’ at the beginning or end of a sentence, e.g. ‘no wear shoes’
- The ‘no’/’not’ moves inside the sentence, e.g. ‘I no want it’
- The child can use auxiliary verbs and the copular verb ’to be’ more securely and can attach the negative to them, e.g. ‘No, I don’t want go nursery’ or ‘I am not’
‘no wear shoes’ - what stage of Bellugi’s negation theory?
Stage 1
‘I no want it’ - what stage of Bellugi’s negation theory?
Stage 2
‘No, I don’t want go nursery’ - what stage of Bellugi’s negation theory?
Stage 3
What are Bellugi’s 3 stages of pronoun formation?
- The child uses their own name, e.g. ‘Tom play’
- Uses pronouns but doesn’t recognise that I/me pronouns are used in different places in a sentence.
- Recognises the I/me pronouns and that these are used in different places within a sentence
‘Billy eat biscuit’ when referring to themself - what stage of Bellugi’s pronoun theory?
Stage 1
‘Me eat biscuit’ when referring to themself - what stage of Bellugi’s pronoun theory?
Stage 2
‘I eat biscuit’ when referring to themself - what stage of Bellugi’s pronoun theory?
Stage 3
