Module 9 Vocabulary

Question 1

Innateness Hypothesis

Answer 1

Argues that our ability to acquire human language is innate.

Question 2

Universal Grammar

Answer 2

Set of structural characteristics shared by all languages. Innateness Hypothesis requires this, but it is an independent idea from that Hypothesis.

Question 3

Theoretical Linguistics

Answer 3

Aims to explain the nature of human language in terms of basic underlying principles.

Question 4

Sign Language

Answer 4

Gesture System that has morphology rules, syntactic rules, semantic rules, and has a dictionary of arbitrary signs.

Question 5

Importance of Nicaraguan Sign Language

Answer 5

Did not exist before 1980, teachers in a school for the deaf used signs only for the alphabet, children naturally and quickly created their own sign language and it became a full-fledged language.

Question 6

Theories of Acquistion

Answer 6

Imitation, Reinforcement, Active Construction of a Grammar, Connectionist Theories

Question 7

Imitation Acquisition

Answer 7

Children imitate what they hear.

Question 8

Reinforcement

Answer 8

Children learn through positive and negative reinforcement.

Question 9

Active Construction of Grammar

Answer 9

Children invent grammar rules themselves, ability to develop rules is innate.

Question 10

Connectionist Theory

Answer 10

Exposure to language develops and strengthens neural connections, higher frequency means stronger connections.

Question 11

Critical Period Hypothesis

Answer 11

There is a critical period in development during which a language can be acquired like a native speaker. After this critical period, it is impossible to acquire a language as well as a native speaker. There are “sensitive periods” during which the ease of learning certain aspects of language decline.

Question 12

Prelinguistic

Answer 12

Babies Make Noises, but not yet babbling. Sensitive to native and non-native sound distinctions.

Question 13

Babbling

Answer 13

Starts at about 6 months. Not linked to biological needs. Pitch and intonation resemble language spoken around them.

Question 14

One-word

Answer 14

Beings around age 1. One-syllable words with CV structure and one word sentences. Words learned as a whole. Easier sounds produced earlier with better perception than production.

Question 15

Two-word stage

Answer 15

Starts at 1.5-2 years. Vocab +/- 50 words. Two word sentences that could have a number of relations. Lacks function words and inflectional morphology.

Question 16

Beyond 2-word stage

Answer 16

Sentences with 3+ words. Begins using function words, with some aspects of grammar that will resemble adult grammar by age 5.

Question 17

Cons to Imitation Acquistion

Answer 17

Children produce things not said by adults. Children’s ‘mistakes’ are predictable and consistent. Children often fail to accurately mimic adult utterances. Children produce and understand novel sentences. Children may invent a new language in the right circumstances.

Question 18

Cons to Reinforcement Acquisition

Answer 18

Ignores how children initiall learn to produce utterances. Rarely occurs, fails when it does. Fails to explain children’s own grammar rules and why children seem impervious to correction. Role of reinforcement limited to ability to be understood or not.

Question 19

Cons to Active Construction of a Grammar

Answer 19

Says nothing about what patterns are learnable

Question 20

Cons to Connectionist Theories

Answer 20

Predicts that any pattern is learnable by humans, but this is demonstrably false.