Spoken Language Acquisition

Question 1

Proto-words

Answer 1

Made up words that a child will use to represent a word they might not yet be able to pronounce. Fo example: blankie for blanket or ray ray for raisins.

Question 2

Pre-verbal stage

Answer 2

A period of time that involves experimenting with noises and sounds, without producing recognisable words-usually lasting for the baby’s first year.

Question 3

Cooing

Answer 3

Distinct from crying but not yet forming recognisable vowels and consonants.

Question 4

Babbling

Answer 4

Vocal play that involves forming vowel and consonant sounds, which can be reduplicated (repeated) or variegated (different sounds put together).

Question 5

Holophrastic Stage

Answer 5

The point in a child’s development when a child uses just individual words to communicate.

Question 6

Holophrase

Answer 6

A single word used to express a complex idea.

Question 7

Non-verbal communication

Answer 7

All the ways in which communication occurs that do not involve words (e.g. a parent shaking their head at a child will communicate the same meaning as ‘no’).

Question 8

Reduplication

Answer 8

Repeated syllables within a word (e.g. baa baa for blanket).

Question 9

Diminutives

Answer 9

The reduction in scale of an item through the way the word is created. (e.g. doggie instead of dog-this is a more accessible word choice for children that is phonologically easier.)

Question 10

Addition

Answer 10

Adding an additional suffix to the end of a word in order to change the way in which the word is pronounced and interpreted (e.g. dolly instead of doll).

Question 11

Two-word stage

Answer 11

A period of time when a child begins to put two words together (e.g. kick ball).

Question 12

Telegraphic stage

Answer 12

A period of time when a child’s utterances will be three words and more; there might still be omission of some words, with the key words included.

Question 13

Grammatical words

Answer 13

Words within a sentence that are necessary to demonstrate structural accuracy.

Question 14

Post-telegraphic stage

Answer 14

A period of time when a child’s language will include both content and grammatical words and more closely resemble adult speech.

Question 15

CDS (child directed speech)

Answer 15

The various ways in which a caregiver (unconsciously) adapts their speech in order to aid a child in their language development.

Question 16

Expansion

Answer 16

Where a caregiver might develop the child’s utterance to make it more grammatically complete.

Question 17

Recast

Answer 17

The grammatically incorrect utterance of a child is spoken back to the child but in the correct form.

Question 18

Mitigated Imperatives

Answer 18

An instruction given in such a way that does not appear to be a command but a more gentle suggestion.

Question 19

Halliday (1975)

Answer 19

Identified seven different functions that might be served when a child uses language. He suggested that by having an intended outcome or motivation for using language, a child will be motivated to further use language.

Question 20

Instrumental function

Answer 20

Where the child is trying to fulfil a need (asking for food or a drink.)

Question 21

Regulatory function

Answer 21

Used to control the behaviour of someone (telling a caregiver to sit.)

Question 22

Interactional function

Answer 22

used to develop relationships with others (telling a sibling you love them.)

Question 23

Personal function

Answer 23

Used to express views and preferences (me no like)

Question 24

Heuristic function

Answer 24

Used to explore the world around them (What you doing mummy?)

Question 25

Imaginative Function

Answer 25

Used to explore something creatively or during play.

Question 26

Representational function

Answer 26

Used to exchange information-to give or receive information.

Question 27

Hyponym

Answer 27

The more specific words that can be defined within the more generic hypernym. E.g. apples, pears and grapes are hyponyms

Question 28

Hypernyms

Answer 28

The more generic term that is connected to more specific word choices that are all within the same semantic field. E.g. fruit

Question 29

Jean Aitchison

Answer 29

Labelling, packaging and network-building of a child’s language acquisition of vocabulary.

Question 30

Features of CDS

Answer 30

higher or melodic pitch 
More frequent or longer pauses 
Slower and clearer speech 
Repetition 
Grammatically simple sentences 
More questions-including tag questions 
Use of diminutives 
Use of nouns rather than pronouns 
Inclusive pronouns 
Politeness features 
Mitigated imperatives 
Recasts 
Expansion

Question 31

Sunstitution

Answer 31

The process of swapping one sound for another (that is easier to produce)

Question 32

Assimilation

Answer 32

One consonant or vowel is swapped for another

Question 33

Deletion of final consonant

Answer 33

Omitting the sound as the end of the word for ease of articulation.

Question 34

Deletion of unstressed syllables

Answer 34

Omitting a particular sound in the word for ease of articulation.

Question 35

Consonant cluster reduction

Answer 35

Reducing phonologically more complex units into simpler ones-from two or more consonants down to one.

Question 36

IRF

Answer 36

Used by caregivers to develop children’s language-initiation, response, feedback.

Question 37

Categorical overextension

Answer 37

The name for one member of a family is extended to all members of the category.Apple used for all round fruits

Question 38

Analogical overextension

Answer 38

A word for one object is extended to one in a different category; usually on the basis that it has some physical or functional connection.Ball used for a round fruit

Question 39

Mismatch statements

Answer 39

One-word sentences that appear quite abstract; child makes a statement about one object in relation to another.Saying duck when looking at an empty pond

Question 40

MLU

Answer 40

Mean length of utterance-the average utterance length of speakers calculated by adding up the total number of words spoken and dividing this total by the number of utterances- it is a broad way of exploring a participant’s input and can be linked to discussion of dominance.

Question 41

Copula Verb

Answer 41

a verb that joins a subject to an adjective or noun complement: for example, ‘I am happy’ joins the subject ‘I’ to the adjective ‘happy’, which can include not just the verb ‘to be’ but also verbs like ‘to look’, ‘feel’ or ‘seem’

Question 42

Chomsky

Answer 42

Nativist – children are born with a language acquisition device. They have an innate ability to acquire language

Question 43

Piaget

Answer 43

Cognitive – children develop their linguistic competence alongside their ability to understand the world around them.

Question 44

Skinner

Answer 44

Behaviourist – children learn primarily through imitation and patterns of positive or negative reinforcement from their carers.

Question 45

Bruner

Answer 45

Interactional – children learn through the input of their carers, correcting and supporting their linguistic development.

Question 46

Lenneberg

Answer 46

Critical period – children have a limited period during which their language can develop rapidly. After this, language development is much harder

Question 47

MKO

Answer 47

more knowledgeable other-the older participant in an interaction who might offer support to a cild so that they can further their own development or learning.

Question 48

ZPD

Answer 48

Zone of proximal development-describes the area between what a child already do and that which is beyond their reach. It is the area into which a caregiver might enable the child to progress by offering the necessary support or scaffolding to facilitate learning.

Question 49

Tomasello (2003)

Answer 49

Usage based linguistics-a model that emphasises that language structure emerges from use in that linguistic patterns are formed and become what we know as grammatical constructions.

Question 50

Operant conditioning

Answer 50

The idea that either a positive or a negative response given by a caregiver can influence the way in which a child talks on future occasions.

Question 51

Positive reinforcement

Answer 51

The positive feedback given to a child which is thought to encourage similar performance again.

Question 52

LAD

Answer 52

Language acquisition device-as proposed by Chomsky is the idea that all humans are born with an innate language learning capacity.

Question 53

Universal grammar

Answer 53

Term coined by Chomsky- the notion that all human language possess similar grammatical properties which the brain is hard wired to be able to decode and use.

Question 54

Virtuous errors

Answer 54

Grammatical errors that are understandable and logical through an incorrect assumption being made by grammatical rules.

Question 55

Cognitive development

Answer 55

a child’s development of thinking and understanding.

Question 56

LASS

Answer 56

Language Acquisition Support System as proposed by Bruner (i.e. the caregivers and other individuals who play a key role in a child’s language development.)

Question 57

Scaffolding

Answer 57

the support provided by caregivers through modelling how speech ought to take place, in order to help the child’s language development.

Question 58

Egocentric

Answer 58

Thinking only of themselves, without understanding or regard for the feelings of others.

Question 59

Object permanence

Answer 59

an understanding that objects continue to exist even when they can’t be seen or touched.

Question 60

Bellugi (1971)

Answer 60

Bellugi also looked at the stages that children learned to use pronouns, she found the following:
The child uses their own name or a name rather than a pronoun (Tom play)
The child uses the I/me pronouns but doesn’t always use them correctly. The child will recognise that there is a difference between subject and object pronouns but will not be able to apply this understanding correctly.
The child uses the I/me pronouns (subject and object pronouns in the correct places of a sentence E.g.- I play with the toy/ Give that to me. )

Question 61

Cuttenden (1979)

Answer 61

identified three stages in the acquisition of inflections.

Stage 1-Inconsistent usage-correct usage some of the time because they have learnt the word and not the grammatical rule.
Stage 2-Consistent usage but sometime misapplied-mistaken applications e.g. past tense inflection to irregular verbs-virtuous errors.
Stage 3-Consistent usage-This is when children are able to cope with irregular forms successfully.

Question 62

Bellugi stages of negation

Answer 62

1-18 months-Uses ‘no’ or ‘not’ at the beginning or the end of a sentence to make things negative.

Between 2 and 3 years-Children start to use no and not in front of verbs, like ‘I no want juice’. They also develop the use of contracted negatives like can’t and don’t ‘I can’t drink it’. These two forms sometimes get mixed up, ‘I can’t like it’.

From 3 years and upwards-Attaches the negative auxiliary verb to the main verb securely. Children stop using ‘no’ and ‘not’ like they did in stage 1. They standardise their use of can’t and don’t and start using other negative contractions like didn’t and won’t, ‘she didn’t catch it’. The use of ‘isn’t’ develops later.