Lecture 4-Development of Language

Question 1

Language

Answer 1

• a structured system of sound patterns (words and sentences) that have socially standardised meanings.
• provides human beings with a set of symbols that enable objects, events and processes in the environment to be catalogued.

Question 2

Language as tool

Answer 2

• promoting communication

- developing social networks-implications for attachment and social bonding

Question 3

3 components of language

Answer 3

phonology: joining together of units of sound to form words
semantics: a system of meanings associated with words
syntax: rules for the connection of words to form phrases and sentences.

Question 4

other components

Answer 4

phonemes: units of sound that can differentiate minimally different words
morphemes: smallest grammatical unit in a language

Question 5

2 types of morphemes

Answer 5

free-function as words

bound-found as parts of words, always with a root.

Question 6

examples of pre requisites of language

Answer 6

graphic symbols (music)
motoric symbols (recall how to tie the knot)
gestural symbols (flipping the bird)
sensory or iconic symbols (smells and sounds associated with past experiences)

Question 7

2 purposes to gestural symbols

Answer 7

• representational
• communicative

gestural symbols used for communicative purposes at around 8-10 months

Question 8

first gestures

Answer 8

waving hand: goodbye
shaking head: no
pointing: drawing others attention to object, person or action.

Question 9

pretend play

Answer 9

• is a form of symbolic representation
• emerges before spoken language

by 2 years, children can differentiate pretence from reality: Deferred imitation-emerges at end of sensorimotor stage/children can imitate object without object being present.

Question 10

acquisition of language

Answer 10

• currently accepted that child language is a system unique to children, not miniature version of adult language.
• acquired during childhood through a universal series of stages, each with its own unique features.
• children in all cultural groups progress through the stages of language acquisition in the same sequence:physiological/biological basis for language acquisition.

Question 11

stages in language acquisition

Answer 11

prelinguistic speech: crying, cooing, babbling

linguistic speech: holophrastic speech, two word utterances, telegraphic speech

Question 12

prelinguistic speech

Answer 12

approx 12 months of age/established sequence of sounds through which infants progress before uttering first words

Question 13

crying

Answer 13

earliest means of communication

different sounds, pitches and intensities, signal different meanings :hunger, fatigue, discomfort, anger pain

Question 14

cooing

Answer 14

• infants make squealing, gurgling sounds that are repetition of vowel sounds
• sounds are sustained for approximately 15-20 seconds
• appears at 6 weeks to 3 months

Question 15

babbling

Answer 15

• alternating sequence of vowel and consonant sounds which resemble one syllable utterances
• appears at 4 months-6 months of age
• all infants babble, even if profoundly deaf
• infants babble all possible sounds of all possible languages
  suggestion: physiological/biological basis for language acquisition

Question 16

Linguistic speech

Answer 16

Lenneberg (1969)-genuine comprehension of word meaning requires: consistent recognition and use of word in same context.

• ability to conduct phonetic analysis dissecting words into their component phonemes (sounds)
• semantic ability-children recognise that all objects could have names
• ability to analyse sentences or phrases to extract words

Question 17

3 stages in the acquisition of linguistic speech

Answer 17

holophrastic speech
two word utterances
telegraphic speech

Question 18

holophrastic speech

Answer 18

• single words that convey different meanings dependent upon the context in which the words are used. e.g.. ball- this is my ball… i want my ball
  -Nelson (1973): most common of first 50 words spoken by children 12-24 months of age
  names: general (woof woof -dog)/specific (black-one specific dog)
  action words: bye bye=go, good bye
  modifiers:hot, cold
  words that express feelings:no
  some grammatical words: for

Question 19

2 features of holophrastic speech

Answer 19

overextension

underextension

Question 20

overextension

Answer 20

clark (1973) comon nouns are extended to categories to which they do not apply in adult speech. ex. orange-orange + all fruits we can eat.

• illustrates child’s active involvement in use of language as communication tool
• interim measure-as vocabulary develops, overextended word usage declines.

Question 21

underextension

Answer 21

anglin (1977) common nouns are applied to more narrowly defined categories than in adult speech. ex. dog-the family pet dog only , not other dogs

Question 22

2 word sentences

Answer 22

• combination of two words to convey meaning
• unique linguistic system
• not imitation of adult speech
• grammatically correct (subject-verb-object
• 18 months to 22 months ex: more page, more wet

Question 23

theorists of two word sentence

Answer 23

brown (1973): pivot grammar, all words fall into one of two classes
braine (1963): all children used distinctive two word grammar governed by small set of rules. Meaning of two word sentences is CONTEXT SPECIFIC

Question 24

braine (1963) 10 broad ideas

Answer 24

identification/description/possession/plurality/recurrence/disappearance/negation/actor-action relations/location/requests

Question 25

telegraphic speech

Answer 25

- sentences resembling adult telegrams - sentences comprised primarily of: nouns/verbs - 24 months

Question 26

over-regularisation

Answer 26

- feature of telegraphic speech - children apply general rule for forming a plural (add-s) or a past tense (add-ed) to irregular nouns or verbs. ex: mouses or mices / i goed i went

Question 27

theorist of overregularization

Answer 27

berko (1958):developed set of nonsense words for which children had to supply plural, past tense and possessive inflections. ex: wug, heaf, quirk - children extended standard grammatical rules to non sense words - children were learning rules of grammar not imitating what is heard around them - unique not imitative - supports argument that children biologically predisposed to acquire language.

Question 28

transformational grammar

Answer 28

- 2 to 4 years old - rules that allow simple declarative statements to be modified to convey a range of more complex meanings: questions/negations/passives/conjunctive assertions (but)/embedded sentences

Question 29

negation

Answer 29

Bloom (1970): children use negative words to indicate three types of negative meaning: non-existence/rejection/denial-implied or previously spoken statement not true.

Question 30

questioning sequence

Answer 30

holophrastic: tone of voice (rising intonation) two word and telegraphic speech: tone of voice (rising intonation) question words: who, what, where + declarative sentence question proper: inversion of sentence subject and auxiliary verb

Question 31

complex sentences

Answer 31

- 2 to 4 years feature: EMBEDDING (3 to 5 Years)-this syntax allows children to talk about cognitive states, false beliefs and false statements, necessary prerequisite for mastery of theory of mind

Question 32

language acquisition : biological perspectives- 5 pieces of evidence

Answer 32

- universal sequence - early responses to language - physiological evidence - critical period for language acquisition - overregularization of grammatical rules

Question 33

theories of language acquisition

Answer 33

foetuses and newborn infants respond to language in highly sophisticated ways. decasper & fife (1980): new born babies prefer the voice of their mothers over those of other women (and even their fathers)

Question 34

physiological evidence in human brain

Answer 34

brain larger left hemisphere BROCA'S AREA:language production/ability to process grammar WERNICKE'S AREA: speech comprehension/difficulty to recall names of objects/receptive aphasia-inability to comprehend speech

Question 35

environmental perspectives: 3 pieces of evidence

Answer 35

imitation-children learn to speak the language heard around them parentese-simplified language that adults use with young language learners necessity of social interaction for language acquisition

Question 36

features of parentese

Answer 36

- simple, short sentences - repetition - exaggerated intonation contours - long pauses between sentences - emphasis of most important words - echoing (repeating) - prompting (rephrasing if child not understood) - expansion (restating) - recasting (rephrasing in different way while maintaining the original meaning)

Question 37

Parentese theories

Answer 37

Cross (1976): children primary caregivers used parentese, progressed significantly faster in acquisition of language than children whose mothers did not use parentese. features: expansions/repetitions/recasts/shorter sentences

Question 38

conclusions

Answer 38

- first 12 years, children develop linguistically in complex ways - these developments are the result of the interplay of biological (maturational) factors and influences fromm the environment - developments in cognition and language enable the infant and child to develop SOCIALLY in sophisticated ways. - developments in cognition enable the child to understand that he has an IDENTITY SEPARATE from that of others in his social world. - this recognition establishes the basis for the development of SELF-CONCEPT - the development of a sophisticated set of symbols (language) enables the child to communicate his THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS to others in his social world. - this ability establishes the basis for the DEVELOPMENT OF RELATIONSHIPS and the social cognitions and perceptions.