Spoken Child Language Acquisition

Question 1

What are the 4 main theories? With theorists?

Answer 1

1. Behaviourism - developed by Skinner
2. Nativism - developed by Chomsky
3. Social interaction - developed by Bruner
4. Cognitive - developed by Piaget/Vygotsky

Question 2

What is behaviourism?

Answer 2

A theory that is based off of observable data, not on abstract theories. It states that trying things out through action or behaviour and if it works, one is conditioned to repeat it through reinforcement and it become a habit, so the brain is a blank slate

Question 3

What is nativism?

Answer 3

A theory developed by Chomsky in the 1960s - attacked the behaviourism theory and said the brain was not a blank slate - all children have a Language Acquisition Device that shows our brain is hardwired

Question 4

What is social interaction?

Answer 4

A theory developed by Bruner that states that one has an innate ability which is assisted by the environment and interactions around the learner of language - disagrees with poverty of stimulus

Question 5

What is cognitive theory?

Answer 5

A theory that states that learning language is part of our overall cognitive development so as we learn concepts like size and volume, this is mirrored in our language

Question 6

What do children have to learn?

Answer 6

-How to create individual phonemes and phonemic combinations
-How to use a vocabulary of words and understand their meanings
-How to combine a variety of sentence constructions, changing words formations to express different word classes
-How to use prosodic features such as pitch, loudness, speed and intonation to convey meaning
-How to structure interactions with others
-The subtleties of speech, such as politeness, implication, irony

Question 7

Who developed the 8 stages of development?

Answer 7

David Crystal

Question 8

What are Crystals 8 stages of development? With examples

Answer 8

1. Vegetative e.g. reflexive sounds
2. Cooing e.g. oohh, ahh
3. Babbling e.g. Dadadada
4. Proto words e.g. bot-bot (bottle)
5. Holophrase/One word e.g. cup
6. Two-word e.g. James tired
7. Telegraphic e.g. I sleepy need nap
8. Post telegraphic e.g. I am very hungry

Question 9

Who are the 2 key theorists who explored the functions of children’s speech? What were their theories?

Answer 9

1. Michael Halliday - Taxonomic Functions of children’s speech
2. John Dore - Individual Speech Acts

Question 10

What are the 7 functions of child speech in Michael Hallidays Taxonomic Functions of Speech?

Answer 10

1. Instrumental
2. Regulatory
3. Interactional
4. Personal
5. Representational
6. Imaginative
7. Heuristic

Question 11

What is the instrumental function type of language used to do in Michael Hallidays Taxonomic Functions of Speech? With example

Answer 11

Fulfil a need e.g. ‘want milk’

Question 12

What is the regulatory function type of language used to do in Michael Hallidays Taxonomic Functions of Speech? With example

Answer 12

Influences behaviour of others e.g. ‘pick up’

Question 13

What is the Interactional function type of language used to do in Michael Hallidays Taxonomic Functions of Speech? With example

Answer 13

Develop and maintain social relationships e.g. ‘love you’

Question 14

What is the personal function type of language used to do in Michael Hallidays Taxonomic Functions of Speech? With example

Answer 14

Convey individual opinions, ideas and personal identity e.g. ‘me like Charlie and Lola’

Question 15

What is the representational function type of language used to do in Michael Hallidays Taxonomic Functions of Speech? With example

Answer 15

Conveying facts and information e.g. ‘it hot’

Question 16

What is the imaginative function type of language used to do in Michael Hallidays Taxonomic Functions of Speech? With example

Answer 16

Creating an imaginary world and may be seen mainly in play e.g. ‘me shopkeeper’

Question 17

What is the heuristic function type of language used to do in Michael Hallidays Taxonomic Functions of Speech? With example

Answer 17

Learning about the environment e.g. ‘wassat?’

Question 18

What are the 8 functions in John Dore’s Individual Speech Act?

Answer 18

1. Labelling
2. Repeating
3. Answering
4. Requesting action
5. Calling
6. Greeting
7. Protesting
8. Practising

Question 19

What is the labelling function of language used to do in John Dore’s Individual Speech Act?

Answer 19

Naming a person, object or thing

Question 20

What is the repeating function of language used to do in John Dore’s Individual Speech Act?

Answer 20

Repeating an adult word or utterance

Question 21

What is the answering function of language used to do in John Dore’s Individual Speech Act?

Answer 21

Responding to an utterance of another speaking

Question 22

What is the requesting action function of language used to do in John Dore’s Individual Speech Act?

Answer 22

Asking something to be done for them

Question 23

What is the calling function of language used to do in John Dore’s Individual Speech Act?

Answer 23

Getting attention by shouting

Question 24

What is the greeting function of language used to do in John Dore’s Individual Speech Act?

Answer 24

Greeting someone or something

Question 25

What is the protesting function of language used to do in John Dore’s Individual Speech Act?

Answer 25

Objecting to requests from others

Question 26

What is the practising function of language used to do in John Dore’s Individual Speech Act?

Answer 26

Using language when no adult is present

Question 27

What do children need to learn to communicate with others successfully?

Answer 27

Lexis
Phonology
Discourse
Pragmatics
Grammar and syntax
Morphology
Graphology and orthography

Question 28

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 28

Conditioning a child into producing language by using positive and negative reinforcement, reinforcement encourages to do something again n but punishment discourages from it. The behaviourism theory is built off of this.

Question 29

What are the strengths of behaviourism?

Answer 29

-It has been scientifically proven and there is evidence of this in the real world
-Conditioning behaviour works on both humans and other animals, and there are specific experiments that proved this
-It’s completely plausible - focuses on the information right in front of us rather than on abstract ideas
-There is proof that when a child babbles, if they are given some vocal attention like intonation, they are likely to continue to make those same noises
-Children pick up sounds, words and pronunciation that they hear around them - this is very obvious

Question 30

What are the weaknesses of behaviourism?

Answer 30

-Although it has been tested on pigeons, does the same apply to humans and learning language -Children dont understand the conventions of being rewarded and punished, the theory therefore doesn’t work - may say words on a whim and never say them again
-If a behaviour is rewarded at the wrong time, then the wrong behaviour may be reinforced and repeated
-Removes the argument that all humans have a natural ability to speak
-Children who are raised in homes where they aren’t rewarded for making words, still know how to speak the language - proving language isn’t developed based on behaviour

Question 31

LAD?

Answer 31

Language Acquisition Device - linked with nativism - says our brain has a function in it to create and learn language

Question 32

What is virtuous theory? What theory is it linked with?

Answer 32

States children have their own knowledge that displays a greater intelligence rather than repeating words like they’d say mouses instead of mice even though they’ve never heard that - these are called virtuous errors - linked with nativism

Question 33

What is poverty of stimulus?

Answer 33

Poverty of stimulus comes from the nativist theory and says that a child isn’t exposed to planned language without hesitations, so it’s not clear to learn, thus they come up with language themselves through recalling it

Question 34

Bound vs unbound morpheme?

Answer 34

Bound morpheme = has no meaning and is only used to make grammatical sense
Unbound morpheme = infinitive word that can be applied to anything

Question 35

Strengths of nativism?

Answer 35

-it makes sense
-the evidence it uses to back the theory up does justify it
-general consensus is the child isn’t exposed to planned language so basing it off of that makes sense
-better than behaviourism in the sense that it acknowledges our brain isn’t necessarily a blank slate - we have an innate ability to move just as we have an innate ability to talk and produce language

Question 36

Weaknesses of nativism?

Answer 36

-every child’s experience learning language is different - some parents may plan their language but others may not
-using general trends in virtuous errors to learn language but that doesnt mean that it comes from an innate ability to produce language its just about noticing patterns
-doesn’t acknowledge that our brain is impacted by our environment
-not many studies done to show this
-based on abstract belief not on much evidence `

Question 37

What is the LASS? What theory?

Answer 37

Language Acquisition Support System - linked with social interactionism - the people and environment around a baby are a LASS

Question 38

What is CDS? What theory?

Answer 38

Child Directed Speech - social interactionism - says that the people around a child use this style of language to help a child’s language development through the way they speak like speaking more slowly and more clearly

Question 39

What is the critical period?

Answer 39

The period of time where the brain progresses the most

Question 40

What resources are around a child that can support language development and act as a LASS?

Answer 40

Books - pictures, sound effects, texts
Parents, friends, teachers, siblings
Classroom displays like phonics etc.
Toys, games
Real world
Signs, lists, notes
Verbal games

Question 41

Features of CDS?

Answer 41

Simplified grammar and meaning
Restricted range of sentence patterns
Slower speech
Repetition of sentences
Use of special words and sounds e.g. blanky
Large number of questions and utterances with high rising intonation to get feedback
Focusing on the present environment not the past or future or hypothetical situations

Question 42

What’s is Bruners four part conversation structure in CLA?

Answer 42

1. Parents direct the child’s attention e.g. ‘Look at this!’
2. Parent asks the child to label an object e.g. ‘What’s this? It’s a…’
3. Parent provides label for the child e.g. ‘it’s a cow’
4. Parent gives the child feedback e.g. ‘that’s right!’

Question 43

Studies that prove CDS is present?

Answer 43

1. Newport et al (1977): they found just one genuine adult use of non-standard syntax out of 1500 utterances suggesting that CDS is typically of high quality and standard/accurate.
2. Sachs, Brown and Salerno (1970): they reported fewer subordinate clauses, relative clauses, and negations in CDS

Question 44

Who were the 4 theorists that focused on the critical period?

Answer 44

1. Lenneberg - 1967
2. Newport - 1988 and 1990
3. Hakuta et al. - 2003
4. Herschensohn - 2007

Question 45

What did Lenneberg hypothesise on critical period?

Answer 45

Suggested that the existence of a critical period during which a child must learn language, this critical period was seen to be a child’s first few years - acquisition becomes more difficult from about age 5 and puberty - says the flexibility of our brain slowly declines

Question 46

What did Newport hypothesise on critical period?

Answer 46

Researched native, early and late learning of ASL in deaf children and tested their language after each had been speaking it for 30 years, she found that later language learners did less well, especially in morphology tests, even early learners showed deficits when compared to native leanrers

Question 47

What did Hakuta et al. hypothesise on critical period?

Answer 47

Found that we experience a long slow decline in the power of general learning mechanisms that progressively hinders our ability to acquire language, hence, age effects may not be caused by a language specific critical period but rather by a more general decline in learning

Question 48

What did Herschensohn hypothesise on the critical period?

Answer 48

Said that the development of neural architecture dedicated to native language grammar, lexicon and processing is a clearly biological characteristic of typical human growth during the first few years of life that presents the onset and peak of sensitivity of a representative critical period

Question 49

What is the case study of Genie Wiley?

Answer 49

-If her father interacted with her, he barked or growled and beat her if she made a noise
-She was discovered at the age of 13, confined to a small room
-Susan Curtiss, a linguist worked with Genie
-Psychologists and language experts began the process of rehabilitating Genie
-she often spat and stayed silent, unable to chew and only recognised her own name and the word ‘sorry’
-Was at the level of a 1 year old
-She could communicate non verbally particularly through drawing
-Curtiss found that Genie could use words but she couldn’t produce grammar, not being able to arrange words in meaningful ways
-Genie moved through foster homes where she was neglected, and went back to silence
-After a year of treatment, she put three words together which fits in with Crystals stages of language development but her language abilities were stuck at this stage

Question 50

Evidence why Genies study supports critical period?

Answer 50

-supports behaviourism which says that because Genie wasnt exposed to language, she couldn’t speak it even though she did have a LAD
-Some said that critical periods are the way children acquire language where an organism is sensitive to external stimuli and capable of acquiring certain skill - the critical period last until age 12 and after the puberty, the brain becomes set - she was in rehabilitation for years, was able to add and learn some single words and then put two words together like children - some said she was fully capable
-Doesn’t learn to construct grammar in a standard way - Cannot conjugate
-Little questions
-Knows little functional words
-The two word stage lasted a long time with her
-Lenneberg said peak brain activity finishes at 13 - when genie got out
-She went silent

Question 51

Evidence why Genies case study contradicts critical period?

Answer 51

-She did acquire vocab but not comparable to a 2 year old
-Trauma can have an impact on a critical period - PTSD
-Didn’t have a normal experience like a toddler
-She was able to use syntax well
-She had atrophy on her left so there may be external factors that impacted her language acquisition
-She may have been cognitively delayed

Question 52

Who is Catherine Snow? What did she theorise?

Answer 52

-She explored the specifics of Child-Directed Speech (CDS). It often manifests as exaggerated phonetics and simplified lexis and grammar.
-For example, pronouns are often avoided in talking to babies and toddlers, with parents referring to themselves as “Mummy” and “Daddy” and using the child’s name instead of “you”, and question forms are simplified, using structures which avoid inverting subject and verb where possible.
-They also explored non-verbal aspects of the LASS. Many games played with babies and young children use ritualised turns and show how turn-taking works. Most parents of babies will speak to them as though they can reply and treat non-verbal behaviours, such as smiles, gestures or cooing, as responses.
-The best evidence that the LASS is not the only or main aspect in developing language is the fact that CDS is not universal. For example, in Papua New Guinea and Samoa, there is no evidence of CDS and yet children develop speech at the same rate as those in countries with a high usage of CDS.