Language Acquisition & the Language Learning Process

Question 1

What are the pragmatic functions of language?

Answer 1

Requesting and protesting

Question 2

Learning is a _______________

Answer 2

Social act (shared experiences)

Question 3

Describe the Language Learning Process

Answer 3

• caregiver talks to infant
• child differentiates motherese
• child able to maintain attention to caregiver, learn what speaker is referring to (early Theory of Mind)
• develops shared understanding with caregiver
• learns important aspects of words and conceptual knowledge
• Symbolization: words as representations of our thoughts

Question 4

What are the 3 levels of symbolic communication?

Answer 4

Presymbolic
Early Symbolic
Abstract Symbolic

Question 5

Describe Presymbolic communication

Answer 5

• Gain Attention*
• vocalizations
• actions
• gestures
• eye gaze
• facial expression

Question 6

Describe Early Symbolic communication

Answer 6

• Meet basic wants and needs*
• speech and actions together
• signs
• photos
• single words/phrases

Question 7

Describe Advanced Symbolic communication

Answer 7

• Social communication*
• speech
• signs
• text
• multi-word sentences