Lecture 4- Child development: Language

Question 1

A proficient user of language has knowledge of

Answer 1

phonology
semantics
syntax
pragmatics

Question 2

Phonology

Answer 2

sound system
phonemes – limited set
group characteristic of each language
combination rules for meaningful speech

Question 3

Semantics

Answer 3

meaning
morphemes
prefix/suffixes, small words
smallest linguistic units that carry meaning

Question 4

Syntax

Answer 4

form or structure of a language

combination rules for meaningful sentences

Question 5

Pragmatics

Answer 5

rules about language in social contexts
what to say and how to say it
please and thank you!

Question 6

Pre-linguistic period (0-12 months)

Answer 6

3 forms of vocalisation:
crying (first 3-4 weeks)
cooing (3-5 weeks onwards)
babbling (3-4 months)
-adding consonants
-echolalia – sound repetition

Question 7

Pre-linguistic period (0-12 months)

Answer 7

dialogue returned by caregivers
learn other features
turn-taking, intonation
that words have meaning

Question 8

Words as representations of objects

Answer 8

8-12 months
associate object with its name
verbal labels – not representations

Question 9

18 months

Answer 9

true symbolic representation
word as substitute for object
used for communication

Question 10

Telegraphic speech (18-24 months)

Answer 10

say things like more juice, no bed, other bib, all messy

may overextend: all men are dad, cows are dogs etc.

Question 11

Adding complexity (2 years +)

Answer 11

adding verbs
daddy hat      daddy wear hat      daddy is wearing a hat
compound sentences 
adding and, so 
past tense eg. adding –ed
logical errors – ‘mouses gone away’

Question 12

Years 3-5

Answer 12

interest in rhymes and songs
commentaries during play
pre-sleep monologues

all show the emergence of narrative
from actions to spoken stories
links to reading

Question 13

different modes of thought

Answer 13

propositional – verbal language

imaginal – visual imagery

Question 14

concepts & categorisation

Answer 14

prototypes
core properties (as a member of concept)
hierarchies of concepts

Question 15

Skinner

Answer 15

language is learned
imitation, progressive reinforcement
through operant conditioning

Question 16

joint involvement episodes

Answer 16

social input
one-to-one sessions with a sensitive adult
good predictor of vocabulary growth

Question 17

Most important features of interactions?

Answer 17

adopting helpful speech styles
attention eliciting techniques
timing of verbal input
child-directed speech (motherese)

Social interaction & language acquisition
necessary or just pleasurable?

Question 18

Chomsky

Answer 18

language acquisition device
universal grammar (innate shared linguistic principles)

Question 19

motherese

Answer 19

baby talking to a child in higher, slower voice

Question 20

critical period hypothesis (Lenneberg)

Answer 20

children before age 12
bilingual with no accent
recovery of language after head injury
a sensitive (not critical) period

Question 21

Lenneberg hypothesis

Answer 21

there is an ideal time for learning a language. better before the age of 12. can learn 2 languages without showing a sign of other accent/ after head injury can still speak fine.

Question 22

Communication in animals

Answer 22

various species
bees, birds, cetaceans, primates
teaching human language
American sign language
Koko
lexigrams – Kanzi, Panbanisha

Question 23

Deaf children

Answer 23

deaf children with deaf parents
similar language milestones
deaf children with hearing parents
‘home sign’ – a spontaneous language

Question 24

Hearing the word

Answer 24

primary auditory area - wernicke’s area

Question 25

Speaking the word

Answer 25

wernicke’s area - Broca’s area - motor area

Question 26

writing the word

Answer 26

primary visual area - angular gryus - wernickes area

Question 27

expressive aphasia

Answer 27

damage to Broca’s area

speech: halting, hesitant, difficulty finding words
comprehension: largely unimpaired

Question 28

receptive aphasia

Answer 28

damage to Wernicke’s area

speech: fluent, grammatical, no content, nonsense
comprehension: seriously impaired