Language Acquisition Flashcards
Phonetics
The sounds of a langauge
Phonology
The sound patterns of a language
Morphology
Rules of word formation
Syntax
Howards combine into phrases and sentences
Innateness hypothesis or Nativist
The Innateness hypothesis argues that our ability to acquire language is innate. Children must be born with the capacity for language development.
Universal Grammar
Universal Grammar refers to the set of structural characteristics shared by all languages
Receptive language stage
Associating sounds with facial movements and learning word boundaries in speech (0-4 months).
Productive language stage
Babbling in multilingual sounds and gestures (4 months).
Babbling stage
Sounds more like parents’ or household’s language (10 months).
One word stage
Understanding and beginning to say many nouns (12 months).
Two words stage
Adding verbs and making sentences but missing words (18-24 months).
Full sentences stage
Speaking and understanding complex sentences (24+ months).
Theoretical linguistics
Theoretical linguistics is the branch of linguistics that inquires into the nature of language or languages without regard for practical application
Imitation
Children imitate what they hear. The theory is based on an empirical or behavioral approach
Reinforcement
Children learn through positive and negative reinforcement. Very little evidence to support.
Connectionist Theory
Claims that exposure to language develops and strengthens neural connections