Language Acquisition Flashcards
Language Acquisition
All normal humans learn any language they are exposed to at the same rate and follow the same stages
Innateness Hypothesis
We have the innate ability to acquire human language- genetically embedded into our DNA No t derived from cognitive function. Explains Speed/ease/uniformity of acquisition process universally across all languages
Language Acquisition Device
Chomsky LAD a “device” in our brains that allows us to innately learn language when triggered.
Universal Grammar
Structural Characteristics shared by all languages
Imitation Theory of Acquisition
Children imitate what they hear because language is not transmitted genetically.
Reinforcement Theory of Acquisition
Children learn language through positive and negative reinforcement.
Active Construction of Grammar
The innate ability for children to invent grammar rules themselves.
Connection Theories
The theory that exposure to language strengthens neural connections which allows for the exploitation of statistical information.
Critical Period Hypothesis
Basic Idea there is a critical period in development during which language can be acquired like a native speaker. About age 6
Prelinguistic
0 babies ability to make noise such as crying and cooing due to a reaction to stimuli or. biological needs not speech.
Babbling
6 months not linked to biological needs, pitch and intonation resembles those that speak around them
One-word stage
Around age 1 speaks one-word sentences 1 syllable word whole words learned NOT phonemes
holophrastic
one word sentences spoken by children about 1 years of age
Two-word stage
1.5 to 2 years old knows about 50 or so words and uses 2 word sentences.
telegraphic
two word sentences spoken around the age of 2
Head-first language
Head of the phrase always comes before its compliments.
Syntactic Structures
Noam Chomsky the idea that each sentence in a language has 2 levels of representation Surface and deep structure
Surface structure
physical properties of a language
deep structure
core semantic relations of a sentence mapped on to the surface structure follows the phonological form of a sentence closely
economy of derivation
principle that states that movements/ transformations only occur in order to match interpretable features with uninterpretable features
Economy of representation
principle that states grammatical structures must exist for a purpose i.e., the structure of a sentence should be no larger or more complex than required to satisfy constraints on grammaticality
Transformation
a rule that takes an input or deep structure and changes it by some means of a restricted way to a surface structure
cognitive theory
language acquisition must be child’s intellectual development. A linguist structure will emerge only if thee is an already established cognitive foundation or ability to make judgements
input theory
maternal input parents do not talk to their children as they do to adults. They adapt language to give children the maximum opportunity to interact and learn simplified utterances, grammar and meaning.
