U3 Communication: Theories of language development

Question 1

Who are the two theorists of language development and their approaches?

Answer 1

• Chomsky: innate approach
• Bruner: interactionist approach

Question 2

What did Chomsky propose?

Answer 2

The idea of a language acquisition device (LAD), a theoretical construct of a black box hardwired for language, representing the genetically predetermine ability of humans to acquire language

Question 3

How does Chomsky’s language acquisition device (LAD) work?

Answer 3

Primary linguistic input (language around child) → LAD →
output (appropriate grammatical sentences of the language)

Question 4

How is Chomsky’s language acquisition device (LAD) related to sentence grammar?

Answer 4

• The theory of the LAD assumes that certain grammatical concepts are common to all languages and are therefore innate
• The LAD can distinguish grammatical and ungrammatical sentences:
• Grammatical sentences: sentences that follow the conventional rules of a language
  (EG: The boy bounced the ball)
• Ungrammatical sentence: sentences that don’t follow the conventional rules of a language
  (EG: Bounced the boy the ball)

Question 5

How is Chomsky’s language acquisition device (LAD) related to language structure?

Answer 5

Grammatical/deep structure of language:
- Universal rules which cover the grammatical structure of any language that people are genetically predisposed to learn and allow the production of grammatical sentences

Surface structure of a language:
- Rules that describe the grammatical structure of each individual spoken language, which the LAD adjusts to in order to be closer to that language

Question 6

What are the limitations of Chomsky’s theory?

Answer 6

• It doesn’t consider the social environment a child was developed in and places too much emphasis on innate predisposition, except when acknowledging that primary linguistic input comes from the language being used in the family and community
• The concept is too abstract and can’t be scientifically tested

Question 7

What were Bruner’s descriptions based on?

Answer 7

A longitudinal study of two boys he observed from the wage of 3 months to 24 months

Question 8

What did Bruner propose?

Answer 8

A language acquisition support system (LASS)
- A system where parents guide and support their children’s emerging language through interaction where they learn the language of the particular social, historical and cultural group they are growing up in

Question 9

How are the LASS and LAD related?

Answer 9

The LASS requires the LAD, and vice versa

Question 10

What are the two people components of the LASS?

Answer 10

Child component: the innate tendency to learn language

Adult component: the necessary social and instructional frameworks which encourage talk and facilitate the learning of language

Question 11

What are the components of the LASS?

Answer 11

• Scaffolding
• Formats
• Reference

Question 12

What is the scaffolding component of the LASS?

Answer 12

When parents provide suitable instructional interactional frameworks that allow a child’s language to develop

Question 13

What is the formats component of the LASS?

Answer 13

Structural and familiar routines or activities that push children beyond their current capabilities by encouraging them to talk more, use new words and learn new meanings

EG: meal times, bath times, book reading

Question 14

What is the reference component of the LASS?

Answer 14

The use of linguistic means to manage and direct the attention of others

• Develops from non-linguistic methods of directing attention (pointing or looking) which are initially accompanied by sounds, and these sounds eventually replace the gestures
• Context is important in reference as it uses words about time and space (here, this, now)

Question 15

What are the two formats that help the development of reference?

Answer 15

• Joint attention
• Book reading

Question 16

What is joint attention? (As a format to expand reference.)

Answer 16

The shared focus of two individuals on an object

• Sustained eye contact between a parent and their infant is a sign that the infant recognises them, leading to parents starting primitive conversations
• Parents and infants develop primitive vocal exchanges (child looks and makes a noise, then the parent looks and talks)
• Once this routine is established, parents introduce objects for the infant to look at and talk about
• Objects are gradually moved further away, and looking gets replaced with pointing, gradually getting the infants to associate name of objects with terms to describe their place in time and space

Question 17

What is book reading? (As a format to expand reference.)

Answer 17

• Early books include picture books, where the reading consists of the parent pointing at things in the pictures, naming and commenting on them
• Children learn the meanings associated with words and the use of language

Question 18

What are critical periods in language development?

Answer 18

• 0-7 years old
• If children arent exposed to language during this time, they wont ever be able to develop fluency in any language
• EG: Genie The Wild Child