Wk 10 - Language

Question 1

Communication is…(X2)

Answer 1

Just info transfer

Animals can do it

Question 2

Language requires… (x3)

Answer 2

Understanding of grammar and symbol use
Ability to represent real-world situations, and
Articulate new concepts

Question 3

Speech…

Answer 3

Neurological control of movements to create sounds

Question 4

Learning/nurture theories of language acquisition involve… (x3)

Answer 4

Reinforcement - rewards for making particular sounds = do it more
Imitation
Incomplete account - doesn’t explain complexity/rapidity of acquisition

Question 5

Effects of total isolation on Genie… (x4)

Answer 5

Despite alert, curious, eager for contact, and
Cognitive capacity to learn language
Was able to learn basic communication only
Evidence for nativist approach to acquisition

Question 6

Morphological rules for language are…

Answer 6

Grammatical function words and endings like -s, -ing, -ed

Question 7

The critical period hypothesis of language hold that… (x3)

Answer 7

Acquisition must occur within sensitive/critical period or it…
Strong form - won’t be acquired at all
Weak form - will be disordered

Question 8

The nativist approach to language acquisition holds that… (x3)

Answer 8

Humans are specially adapted/born ready for this special learning
Chomsky’s LAD - disordered input is processed through it to deduce rules that constitute language
Evidence is consistent with innate capacity, but other possibilities exist

Question 9

Evidence for the nativist approach to language acquisition… (x5)

Answer 9

1-4 mo can discriminate sounds absent previous exposure
Vocab spurt at 18 mo not explicable through reinforcement/imitation
Overextension - no parent would reinforce such wild inaccuracies
Learning off abstract/complex words
Sheer speed of learning

Question 10

Overextension is… (x2)

Answer 10

Words applied to wider range of referents than is correct

Eg dogs = all four legged creatures

Question 11

Holophrastic speech is… (x3)

And holophrastic kids appear to…

Answer 11

Use of singe word to denote relational meaning
Eg ‘doll’ for doll’s usual location in crib
Generally appears in month before starting to combine words
Understand basic word order rules, ie could identify ‘Cookie Monster tickling Big Bird’ over reverse order

Question 12

Telegraphic speech… (x2)

Answer 12

Combing two words together, with correct word order but no morphological inflections
Content word gives most info, so speech is comprehensible

Question 13

Over-regularisation errors… (x3)

Answer 13

Eg fell is falled
Shows understanding of rules, and that grammar not purely imitation/reinforcement
Rules then have to be ‘unlearned’ to gain particular words

Question 14

The strict nativist account is challenged by findings that… (x2)

Answer 14

Only 1/1500 utterances contained a grammatical error, so

Speech input is not actually impoverished, but contextually comprehensible

Question 15

Child-directed speech is…

Answer 15

Western speech for children
Higher pitch, exaggerated/rising intonation, slower speech, clear enunciation, simplified structure
More question/attention-directing
Shorter, well-formed, repetitive sentences - ltd complexity

Question 16

Child-directed speech hypothesis…

Answer 16

Strong - that it’s necessary for language acquisition
Weak - that it facilitates it
Difficult to support when other cultures don’t use CDS at all