Theories Chapter 8 Flashcards
The Innateness Hypothesis
The theory that asserts that language ability is innate in humans
Linguistic Universals
Innate knowledge of core characteristics common to all languages
Universal Grammar
The theoretically inborn set of structural characteristics shared by all languages
Neglected Children
Children who grew up around little or no language
Feral Children
Children who grew up in the wild, usually around animals
Homesign Gestures
Communicative gestures invented by deaf children and the people with whom they routinely interact
Imitation Theory
Theory that claims children learn language by listening to speech around them and reproducing what they hear
Reinforcement Theory
Theory that asserts that children learn to speak like adults because they are praised, rewarded, or otherwise reinforced when they use the right and are corrected when they use the wrong forms
Active Construction
Children invent the rules of grammar themselves
Connectionist Theory
Assumes that children learn language by creating neural connections in the brain
Social Interaction Theory
Assumes that children acquire language though social interaction with older children and adults
Child-Directed Speech
Slow, high-pitched, contains many repetitions, simplified syntax, exaggerated intonation, and simple concrete vocabulary
Identifying Sounds
Perceiving distinctions in language
High Amplitude Sucking
A study in which identification of sounds in infants is distinguished using a pacifier
Conditioned Head-Turned Procedure
A study in which identification of sounds in infants between 5 and 18 months old is distinguished using visual reinforcers
Producing Sounds
A child’s first vocatlizations
Articulatory Gestures
Producing a particular sound as well as timing relationship between gestures
Babble
Producing a sequence of vowels and consonants if they are acquiring spoken language or producing hand movements
Canonical Babbling
The continual repetition of syllables
Variegated Babbling
Repeating the same syllables
Holophrastic Stage
Single words produced as more than just labels for objects or events
Two-Word Stage
Between approximately 18 and 24 months, children begin to use two-word utterances
Telegraphic
The words used and the order in which they convey them
Later Stages of Development
When children are able to combine more than 2 words into utterances
Overgeneralization
Leaving noun ending in sibilants in their singular forms
Complexive Concept
When a child associates different characteristics with the meaning of a word on successive uses
Overextentions
When a child extends the range of a word’s meaning beyond that typically used by adults
Underextention
The application of a word to a smaller set of objects than is appropriate for mature adult speech
Rational Term
Constitues a relatively complex concept such as large or small
Deictic Expressions
Words referring to personal, temporal, or spatial aspects of an utterance and whose meaning depends on the context in which the word is used
Infant-Directed Speech
Speech directed at children
Attention Getters
Tell children which utterances are addressed to them rather to someone else
Attention Holders
When they have more than one thing to say, such as a story
Bilingual
Speaker of 2 languages
Multilingual
Speaker of more than 2 languages
Second-Language Acquisition
Learning a second language later in life
Language Mixing
Using more than 1 language in a conversation or or within a phrase
Conversational Turns
Taking turns as the speaker and listener in a conversation
Here and Now
Whatever is directed under the child’s eye
Interrogatives
Producing questions only by using rising intonations rather than a particular syntactic structure
