Lecture 4-Development of Language Flashcards
Language
- 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.
Language as tool
- promoting communication
- developing social networks-implications for attachment and social bonding
3 components of language
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.
other components
phonemes: units of sound that can differentiate minimally different words
morphemes: smallest grammatical unit in a language
2 types of morphemes
free-function as words
bound-found as parts of words, always with a root.
examples of pre requisites of language
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)
2 purposes to gestural symbols
- representational
- communicative
gestural symbols used for communicative purposes at around 8-10 months
first gestures
waving hand: goodbye
shaking head: no
pointing: drawing others attention to object, person or action.
pretend play
- 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.
acquisition of language
- 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.
stages in language acquisition
prelinguistic speech: crying, cooing, babbling
linguistic speech: holophrastic speech, two word utterances, telegraphic speech
prelinguistic speech
approx 12 months of age/established sequence of sounds through which infants progress before uttering first words
crying
earliest means of communication
different sounds, pitches and intensities, signal different meanings :hunger, fatigue, discomfort, anger pain
cooing
- 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
babbling
- 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