Midterm 4 Flashcards
what is the role of input in language acquisition
SOCIAL INTERACTION. just hearing isn’t enough.
caregiver speech (register we use to talk to babies)
what are the characteristics? (5)
-simplified structure (daddy push choo choo)
-simplified words (like tummy - bc some sounds are harder for babies to pronounce)
-exaggerated intonation
-slow rate with pauses (so child can process things better)
-pretending as if it’s a 2-way conversation (as if baby is responding)
what are language acquisition schedule / milestones? (expressive) - 5
-cooing
-babbling
-one word
-two words
-telegraphic speech
cooing
-vowel like sounds = open mouth syllables
4 months: velar sounds
5 months: can tell the difference some vowels (ba vs ga)
babbling
6-8 months: vowel and consonant combinations (bababa)
9-10 months: intonation patterns, nasal sounds (mama)
10-11 months: complex syllable combinations (ma-da-ga
one-word stage
12-18 months: recognizable words for objects (they use the same word consistently)
-simplification of sounds: poon for spoon
-holophrastic speech
two-word stage
18-20 months: variety of combinations (momma eat) - context needed to interpret meaning.
24 months: understand 1000, produce 200-300 words
telegraphic speech
-multiple word speech
-correct word order but no function words (to, the, a)
(daddy go bye-bye) - mostly lexical morphemes
overgeneralization
-using the regular rule for irregular words (foots, eated)
overextension
-using a word to refer to other related or unrelated but similar thing
ball for anything round: egg, balloon
simultaneous vs sequential bilinguals
simultaneous learn both languages at the same time from birth to 3
sequential learned second language (L2) after first language. (usually after age 3)
communicative competence (4)
-ability to use language accurately (grammatical competence), appropriately (sociolinguistic competence - what words to use in context), and flexibly
Discourse competence - direct or indirect speech acts, honorifics
Strategic competence - compensating by using other words to describe the word
timing of language milestones of simultaneous bilinguals
The onsets of milestones are the SAME for monolingual and simultaneous bilingual infants and toddlers for: babbling, lexical development, and word combinations
Similar to monolingual development, two-word phrases emerge when the bilingual child has enough expressive words (about 50) in one language to begin putting words together
Myth of language delay and bilingualism
learning 2 languages at the same time doesn’t cause a delay
Timeline for sequential bilinguals
Stage 1 - home language use… speak only in their first language for a few days
Stage 2 - nonverbal period… silent while accumulating receptive knowledge of the second language but not producing words in the second language for a few months
Stage 3 - formulaic language use… use short words or memorized phrases and gestures for about a year
Stage 4 - productive language use… use original combinations of words but may have mistakes (3-5 years from start of learning L2)
Stage 5 - interlanguage use… using both languages (10-12 years from start of learning L2)
Critical period in second language learning
Learning a second language is easier as a child.
From age 13-17 (or before puberty)
Teaching methods for second language learning (3)
- Grammar-translation method
- Audiolingual method
- Communicative approaches
grammar translation method
- Memorizing vocab/grammar rules
- Focuses on written language
- Doesn’t reflect how speakers actually use the language
Audiolingual Method
- Drill based
- Repeating phrases
- Doesn’t represent how people communicate/interact
Communicative Approaches
- executive functions (ex: asking for things)
- Opportunities for interaction (consider social context)
- Language learned through trial and error (“safe environment”)
What’s the definition of neurolinguistics?
“The study of the relationship between language and the brain”
broca’s area
- involved in the generation of spoken language and grammar
- language output
wernicke’s area
- involved in speech comprehension and vocabulary
- language input
aphasia
-impairment of language function due to localized brain damage
-difficulty producing or understanding language
broca’s aphasia
“Expressive Aphasia” or “Non-Fluent Aphasia”
Weaknesses:
- reduced amount of speech (telegraphic speech)
- slow & effortful
- Agrammatic speech (frequent omissions of function words like prepositions and inflectional morphemes)
wernicke’s aphasia
“Receptive Aphasia”
Weaknesses:
- Fluent speech but difficult to understand (overuse of general terms)
- Anomia (difficulties finding words)
Conduction Aphasia
- Mispronounce words, pauses and hesitations
- Difficulty repeating what someone says and answering questions
- Grammar and semantics in-tact
- Harder to detect this kind of aphasia
iconic gestures
- reflect the meaning of what is being said
- people use these to help them come up with the word:
- Acting (ex: pretend to smoke)
- Representing (ex: going down stairs, fingers walking down imaginary stairs)
- Drawing (ex: a house drawn in the air with fingers)
deictic gestures
- Pointing
- In the current context or to where something was in the past
beat gestures
- Aligned to speech prosody (usually on stressed syllables)
- Used to emphasize parts of what is being said
- Gestures that occur in a rhythm that matches the speech rate and content of speech
Primary Sign language (ASL)
- First language of a group of people who do not use a spoken language with each other
- Different sign languages exist and are not mutually intelligible (ASL and BSL are different from each other)
- ASL has nothing to do with English
Signed English
- Producing signs that correspond with words in a sentence, in English word order
- Easier for people who speak English (can be used in educational settings, or by translators/interpreters)
What are the three features of the structure of signs?
- 3 dimensions: shape/orientation, location, movement
- All 3 can impact the meaning of a sign (ex: same shape produced up high has a different meaning if it is produced down low)
- Meaning of signs NOT the same as gestures of pantomime (mimicking actions)
What is the general function of facial expressions in American Sign Language?
- In sign language, facial expressions are used to express both linguistic information and emotions.
Example: eyebrow raise is used to mark general questions in most sign languages. At the same time, signers use the face to express emotions – either their own, or when quoting someone else.
- Some facial expressions don’t carry emotions
- the analogy to spoken English tone
- provide grammatical information
spanish
Word order: SVO (flexible)
Common Errors: possible misuse of prepositions (in vs. on, or vs. of, with vs. at)
mandarin
Word order: SVO
Common Errors:
- No articles (mandarin = i have dog, english = i have a dog)
- No case or gender differentiated (mandarin = me sister is here, english = my sister is here) (case = where things are in the sentence he she they vs. him her them)
- No plurals (mandarin = i want three book, english = i want three books)
japanese
Word order: SOV (flexible)
Common Errors:
- No articles
- Misconjugate verbs
- No plurals
African American English (AAE or AAL)
Word order: SVO
Common Errors: thinking someone misspoke in English when really they are speaking AAE
German
Word order: SVO
Common Errors:
- May make common word choice errors that reflect different concepts in german (ex: the homework is “heavy” rather than “hard”)
- Present tense verb use
- Question formation
- Word order
French
Word order: SVO
Common Errors:
- Gendered nouns
- Her family, his children vs. their family
- “I eat of the oranges” vs. “I eat oranges”
- Past-tense: She walk to the store vs. she walked to the store
- Question Formation: “what means this word?” vs. “what does this word mean?”
Portuguese
Word order: SVO
Common Mistakes:
- False cognates: he seems really educate vs. he seems really polite
- Misconjugating English verbs: he eat the apple vs. he eats the apple
- Double negatives: we are not eating nothing vs. we aren’t eating anything
Arabic
Word order: VSO (flexible)
Common Errors:
Nominal Sentences: I happy at school vs. I am happy at school.
Plural Possessives: This backpack Jenny vs. This backpack is Jennys
Plural: 15 kid vs. 15 kids (numbers over 10 lose plural “s” in Arabic)
Indefinite Articles: The kids holding pencil vs. the kids are holding pencils
Hebrew
Word order: OSV (flexible)
Common Errors:
Indefinite Articles do NOT exist
In english indefinite articles exist.
Example : “I have book” vs. “I have a book.”
Copula “to be” does NOT exist.
In English these are mandatory.
Example : “I tired” vs. “I am tired.”
Adjectives follow nouns.
In English Adjectives precede the noun.
Example : “The ball big” vs ”The big ball.”
