Chp 9 Voabulary Flashcards
Language Acquisition
the process and learning curve of skills by which a child acquires language.
Innateness Hypothesis
the theory that humans are biologically equipped with a knowledge of certain universal elements of language structure that is brought into play in the course of native-language acquisition.
Universal Grammar (UG)
a grammar that attempts to establish the properties and constraints common to all possible human languages.
Theories of Acquisition
theory developed by Stephen Krashen, which argues that there are two ways of developing language ability. Acquisition involves the subconscious acceptance of knowledge where information is stored in the brain through the use of communication.
Imitation
Main idea: children imitate what they hear
Reinforcement
children learn through positive and negative
reinforcement
Active Construction of a Grammar
Children invent grammar rules themselves.
Connectionist Theories
Claims that exposure to language develops and strengthens neural connections.
Critical Period Hypothesis
there is a critical period in development during
which a language can be acquired like a native speaker
strong hypothesis
after this critical period, it is impossible to
acquire a language as well as a native speaker
weak hypothesis
there are ‘sensitive periods’ during which
the ease of learning certain aspects of language decline
Prelinguistic (Stages of Development)
babies make noises, but not yet babbling
Babbling
starts at about 6 months of age ,not linked to biological needs ,pitch and intonation resemble language spoken around them
One-word
begins around age 1
• speaks one-word sentences (called ‘holophrastic’)
• usually 1-syllable words, with CV structure
• consonant clusters reduced
• words learned as a whole, rather than a sequence of sounds
• ‘easier’ sounds produced earlier
two-word stage
starts at about 1.5-2 years of age • vocabulary of +/- 50 words • sentences consist of two words (telegraphic) • e.g. allgone sock • those two words could have a number of relations • e.g. Daddy car • usually lacks function words • usually lacks inflectional morphology
