language development Flashcards
phonology
the basic units of sound that are used in a language and the rules for combining these sound
children must learn to discriminate, produce & combine the speechlike sounds of their language to make sense of the speech they hear & to be understood when they speak
morphology
rules governing the formation of meaningful words from sounds e.g. add s to form plural
child learns that flow (vlow) is how to describe what a river does
semantics
the expressed meaning of words and sentences
children must recognize that words and bound grammatical morphemes convey meaning – they symbolize particular objects, actions & relations can be combined to form larger & more complex meanings (sentences)
syntax
the structure of a language; the rules specifying how words and grammatical markers are to be combined to produce meaningful sentences
children must master rules of syntax before they can become proficient at speaking or understanding a language
pragmatics
principles that underlie the effective and appropriate use of language in social contexts
contextual rules of language
learning/empiricist perspective of lang develop
children imitate what they hear, are reinforced when they use proper grammar and are corrected when they say things wrong
- adults shape speech by reinforcing babbling that most resemble words = increases prob that these sounds will be repeated
- children learn by carefully listening to & imitating the lang of older companions
learning perspective evaluation
- interactions between parents & child do not support this theory
- the order in which a child learns a language is not explained
- offers no explanation for the naming explosion or the vocabulary spurt
- parents mainly confirm or correct the meaning of what a child says, not the grammar
nativist perspective of lang develop
we are bio programmed to acquire lang
- some say we have a language acquisition device (LAD) = an inborn linguistic processor that is activated by verbal input
- other say we have a language-making capacity (LMC) = a set of cog & perceptual abilities that are highly specialized for language learning
- use inferences to create a ‘theory’ of language that is used to guide attempts at communication
explains aphasia = loss of one or more language functions
sensitive period hypothesis
the notion that humans are most proficient at language learning before they reach puberty
child aphasics recover their lost language functions easily compared to adults who require extensive therapy – bcuz RH of child’s brain can assume linguistic functions lost when LH is damaged
brocca’s vs wernicke’s areas
Broca’s area = speech production
Wernicke’s area = speech comprehension
nativist perspective evaluation (lang)
- there are many other explanations for the aptitude of grammar e.g. cog development that this theory doesn’t account for
- says little about the influence of the social context on the development of language
- seen to be incomplete bcuz it is more descriptive than explanatory
interactionist perspective
both bio & env factors interact to determine the course of lang develop
- children from different places talk alike & display linguistic universals because they are all members of the same species who share common experiences
- children are bio predisposed to acquire lang but not by LAD or LMC - the brain matures slowly & predisposes children to develop similar ideas at a similar age
lang develop is not only influenced by bio & cog
- grammatical speech arises out of social necessity – as children’s vocab expands, they need to find a way to organize the words so others will understand
link between interactionist perspective of lang & general cognition
infants seem to talk about whatever cognitive understandings they are acquiring at the moment
- infants speak their first meaningful words at around 12 months – shortly after they develop a capacity for symbolism
- first words depend on objects they have manipulated or actions they have performed – experiences they can understand through their sensorimotor schemes
- words like gone & uh-oh appear during 2nd year – same time as object permanence
5 stages in language development
- prelinguistic period: birth - 12m
- holophrase period: 12-18 m
- telegraphic period: 18-24 m
- preschool period: 2.5-5 y
- middle youth/adolescence: 6-14 y
the prelinguistic period
birth - 12 months
period before children utter their first meaningful words
first they coo (2 months), then they babble (4-6m)
develop prosody = sensitivity to own lang (6m)
start to make gestures (8-10m): declarative & imperative gestures
can understand lang before can produce it
declarative vs imperative gestures
declarative gestures = ensure that a person is drawn to them – e.g., pointing to something or someone
imperative gestures = used to steer people to do something
the holophrase period
12 - 18 months
period when the child’s speech consists of one-word utterances & holophrases
- fast mapping
- naming explosion
- 2 common errors: overextension & underextension
- 4 strategies for learning more lang (processing constraints)
holophrase
a single word utterance that represents an entire sentence worth of meaning
e.g., “cookie!” means “I want a cookie”
fast mapping
the process of acquiring a word after hearing it applied to its referent on a small number of occasions:
naming explosion
the dramatic increase in the pace at which infants acquire new words
overextension vs underextension
overextension = using one word to refer to a wider variety of objects or events – e.g., using car to refer to all vehicles
underextension = using one word in a too limited way – e.g., using cookie for only chocolate cookies
what are the 4 processing constraints in the holophrase period
object scope constraint: children assume that a new word applied to an object refers to the whole not just part of it – e.g., dog refers to the dog, not just the tail
mutual exclusivity constraint: children assume that each word in a sentence has its own meaning & each object has its own name
lexical contrast constraint: children make inferences about word meanings by contrasting new words with words they already know – e.g., golden retriever must be a kind of dog
taxonomic constraint: children assume that objects with the same properties fall under the same category – e.g., a cat is an animal
the telegraphic period
18 - 24 months
early sentences that consist of content words and omit less meaningful parts of speech – e.g., “daddy eat”
- the grammatical rules of a language are used
- become more aware of social & situational factors for effective communication
the preschool period (lang)
2.5 - 5 years
can produce more difficult sentences
- grammar explosion
- over-regulation = over application of general rules - e.g. mouses instead of mice
- pragmatic development occurs = adapting language to the env & situation
the middle youth/adolescence period (lang)
6 - 14 years
- develop better grammar & pragmatics
- learn to read & write = approach language from all sides = whole language approach
