grammatical and pragmatic development

Question 1

what is grammar?

Answer 1

• syntax and morphology

- enables us to combine words in different ways to convey different meanings

Question 2

syntax

Answer 2

= organisation of words into large structures

-test development by using novel words - 2 year olds can point at correct video

Question 3

morphology

Answer 3

= analysis of word structure
inflectional morphology used to mark: tense, person, number and possession
-test by using novel word to test if they know morpheme ‘s’ makes it plural

Question 4

theories of grammatical development

Answer 4

• nativist approach
• constructivist approach
• statistical learning

Question 5

nativist approach (chomsky)

Answer 5

-language structure is hardwired
-universal grammar
x doesn’t explain anything fully

Question 6

constructivist approach

Answer 6

-grammar is learnable
-social context of development
-learning mechanisms
x not fully worked out how learning mechanisms interact

Question 7

statistical learning

Answer 7

-probabilities of sentences they’ve heard of and decide if it’s grammar is correct

Question 8

pragmatics

Answer 8

=the ability to adapt our language to the context we are speaking

• by making inferences
• links between words and their uses

Question 9

what are pragmatic developing skills

Answer 9

• turn taking
• using right expression to refer to something
• talk in different registers depending on context
• understand implications
• narrative skills

Question 10

what does pragmatics require?

Answer 10

• producing the right word for the job - 2yr3months: indicate hidden toy to parent, 2yr7months: named toy when parent hadn’t seen
• learning from feedback: repairing utterances helps ToM development, can learn via overhearing
• effect of role on learning: specific feedback more useful
• effect of array complexity: 2 yrs only learn small set sizes, 4yrs develop heuristic that more items–>more complex expression
• understand intentions: able at 18 months to imitate incomplete action to completion

Question 11

evidence for intentional communication

Answer 11

-18 months repair even when they get what they want

Question 12

evidence querying intentions in comprehension

Answer 12

-5 years query why someone said what they said if it doesn’t fit their predictive model of lang (Gricean reasoning)

Question 13

information packing

Answer 13

linking what is being said to speaker’s model of the world

following topic-comment structure of lang

Question 14

using prosody to mark topic + focus

Answer 14

=helps give emphasis (rise and fall - question)

• 4-5 years marked focus with accentuation but only adult-like way if focus was sentence initial
• 7-8 years grasp more of adult vary duration and pitch to distinguish topic