Language Development

Question 1

How is language first learnt?

Answer 1

Without direct instruction.

Question 2

What is learnt alongside language when a baby is first trying to make sense of it?

Answer 2

What language essentially is, as well as its purposes.

Question 3

What kind of knowledge does language help babies to acquire?

Answer 3

Their knowledge of the world.

Question 4

What do babies develop at the same time as their language acquisition process?

Answer 4

Their memories, learning strategies, and brains.

Question 5

From which gestational week are foetuses able to hear?

Answer 5

From the 24th gestational week.

Question 6

What do newborns prefer to non-native language?

Answer 6

The language that they were exposed to in-utero.

Question 7

What do newborns prefer to unfamiliar female voices?

Answer 7

The voices of their mothers.

Question 8

Which two concepts provide evidence for prenatal learning?

Answer 8

• Newborns preferring the language which they were exposed to in-utero to a non-native language.
• Newborns preferring the voices of their mothers over unfamiliar female voices.

Question 9

What varies according to the type of language that a newborn is exposed to (familiar versus unfamiliar)?

Answer 9

Their brain response.

Question 10

What kind of speech is used all around the world?

Answer 10

Infant- or child-directed speech.

Question 11

Which concept extends to sign language?

Answer 11

The concept of infant- or child-directed speech.

Question 12

What are four features of infant- or child-directed speech?

Answer 12

• High pitch
• Exaggerated intonation
• Repetition
• A slow rate

Question 13

What are two purposes of infant- or child-directed speech?

Answer 13

• The clarification of boundaries.
• The emphasis of important words.

Question 14

What type of speech is preferred by infants?

Answer 14

Infant- or child-directed speech.

Question 15

What is an example of perceptual narrowing?

Answer 15

The ability for newborns to perceive foreign sound distinctions.

Question 16

Which phonological system do babies learn?

Answer 16

Those relating to their native languages.

Question 17

What are susceptible to being lost between the ages of six to 12 months?

Answer 17

Sound distinctions that are not contrasted in the language being learnt by a baby.

Question 18

What does a child do during the language acquisition phase referred to as the ‘babbling’ phase?

Answer 18

They will produce language sounds but will not use them to create meaningful words.

Question 19

When does the ‘babbling’ phase of language acquisition begin?

Answer 19

When babies are approximately between the ages of five to seven months.

Question 20

What does babbling consist of?

Answer 20

Sounds belonging to the language to which the baby is frequently exposed.

Question 21

What purpose does babbling serve?

Answer 21

A communicative one

Question 22

What precedes word production among babies?

Answer 22

Word comprehension

Question 23

When does word comprehension typically occur among babies?

Answer 23

Between the ages of eight to ten months.

Question 24

When does word production typically occur among babies?

Answer 24

Between the ages of ten to 20 months.

Question 25

What are two faults associated with initial word production?

Answer 25

• Undergeneralisation
• Overgeneralisation

Question 26

What is an example of an undergeneralisation?

Answer 26

A baby believing that the word ‘teddy’ is only applicable to their own teddy bear.

Question 27

What is an example of an overgeneralisation?

Answer 27

A baby believing that the word ‘tiger’ is applicable to all animals with a feline appearance (such as a cat).

Question 28

What happens following the gradual process of the acquisition of the first 50 to 100 words?

Answer 28

A vocabulary explosion

Question 29

When does a so-called vocabulary explosion tend to occur during the process of language acquisition?

Answer 29

Generally between the ages of 16 to 20 months.

Question 30

When do children start to produce two-word utterances, such as “throw ball”?

Answer 30

Between the ages of 18 and 24 months.

Question 31

At what age do children begin to use longer and more complete utterances?

Answer 31

By the age of two-and-a-half.