306A: Special edition

First-language acquisition

Guest lecturer

1st language acquisition

Do we need to know this?

Yes

What I mean is, ah, will it be on the exam?

Yes

StagesPre-natal0 - 2 mo

reflexive, vegetative2 - 5 mo

responsive cooing, laughing4 - 7 mo

babbling6 - 12 mo

reduplicative babbling9 - 18 mo

non-reduplicative babbling18 - 72 mo

all hell breaks loose

Pre-natal to 7 mo (roughly)

Pre-natalnative language discrimination

0 - 5 momigration from expressive (indexical) noises to communicative noises to vocal play

4 - 7 moa wide range of noises narrows down toward community speech sounds (phones).

6 to 12 mo (roughly) Reduplicative babbling

mama, gaga, babaphonological practice,

rather than communication

increased control over articulators

9 to 18 mo (roughly) Non-reduplicative babbling

“expressive jargon”intonation and stress patterns

of language “sounds like Language X”

(X = Swedish, Hindi, Basque, …), but just more sophisticated practicing

overlaps with word development and the beginnings of clear communicative intent

bij hQpij hQpij hQpij hQpij...

g√kij g√kij g√kij g√kij g√kij ...

Ajno Ajno Ajno Ajno Ajno...

Phoneme acquisition

BabblingThe cardinal stops p b m t d n

k gThe cardinal vowels i √

uOther sounds s z h w jRare and/or late f v T D S Z tS

dZ l r N

Consonant progression

stops < fricatives < glides < liquids < affricates

Consonant cluster aversion

Dropping fricativesliquidsnasals

when they cluster with stops

Consonant cluster aversion

Dropping fricatives [stAp] [tAp]liquids [trAjt] [tAj]nasals [kAjt] [tAjt]

when they cluster with stops

Substitutions

stopx stopy [kAjt] [tAjt]

fricativex fricativey [fIS] [fIs]

sonorants vowels [wejl] [wej√]fricatives stops [sij] [tij]

liquids glides [lAjt] [wAjt]nasals stops [t√N] [t√g]

14mo +

Proto-words and words commingle

“Noun”-heavyThe dedication and

joy of acquisition

Proto-words (Galen, 15 mo)

meaning

sound usage

blow [fff] Said when food needed cooling

whoosh [wus] Said of toilets and sneezes

oh? [?o] Parent-humouring noise

tasty![n√mn√m]

Said in appreciation of food

yay! [doi˘j] Said in joyous appreciation of favoured objects and totems

Proto-words (Oriana, 16 mo)

meaning sound usage

negatives[nej] [now] [nowej]

Said when declining

affirmative [mmm] Said when accepting

Getyourassingear

[?√?√?√]Said to urge on parents

“smack” [nnntj√] air kiss

Is that right?

√wu √m wAp√ wAp√

mm hmm

Pardon me?

dudawa dej √t√ dudijdij

dudawa dej √t√ dudijdij

Words (Galen, 15 mo)

word sound

accompany/sub

cat [tQt] [mrAuw]

cow [kAw] [mu˘w]

lamb [lQm] [bA?A?A?]

monkey[m√ntij

][E?E?E?]

duck [dQt]A trilled, lateral-tongue-against-cheek flapping noise that actually sounded

a bit like a duck

whale [wej√]Non-totemic

lion [lAjn]

Words (Galen, 15-17 mo)

chair, man, truck, hat, horn, vegetables, night-time, baby, medicine,shampoo, belt, watch, mail, sleep, button, train, pizza, fan, light, bath, diaper, hospital, paper, submarine, …

Mostly “nouns”, some “verbs”, two “prepositions”, a few “adjectives”, some “greetings”.

Words (Oriana, 16 mo)

ward sound

contexts

ow [Aw] when hurt, tickled, inconvenienced in any way

more[mow√

]

said mostly of food and drink, but also of activities (being carried),

sometimes before she has had any

hiya [hAj√] said in greeting

Conversing with Oriana (14 mo)

Oriana: bApA! bApA!IR: Yes, Oriana?

Oriana: wu baktijn matsa mow√IR: Juice?

Oriana: gij (affirmative intonation, nod)

Conversing with Oriana (16 mo)

Oriana: bApA! bApA!IR: Yes, Oriana?

Oriana: hQmij wu tA wuIR: Juice?

Oriana: wu (affirmative intonation, nod)

(27 mo)

PAPAPAPAPAPA! WHAT did you BRING!? You brought GROCERIES! You brought CANS OF SOUP! (picking them out of

the bag and running off with them; he has no particular fondness for soup; it was just something to shout about). (Returning) And

you brought GARBAGE BAGS! GREEN ONES! These are BIG GREEN GARBAGE BAGS! And LIGHTBULBS!

Suprasegmental phonology (Galen)

He’s b-a-a-A-A-A-a-a-d, papa. That beetle’s b-a-a-A-A-A-a-a-a-d! (23 mo)

I want to go outs-i-i-i-i-I-I-I-I-i-i-i-i-de! (22 - 25 mo)

I want Strawbe-e-e-e-E-E-E-E-e-e-e-e-ries! (24 mo)

No-o-o-O-O-O-o-o-o! (a lot, c20 - 26 mo)DeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeetABLE

! (22 mo)L-l-l-l-et’s go outside! (24 mo)

General vocal behaviours (Galen)

noises, hoots, and squealswide range of voices (slow, fast, creaky,

redrum, Louis-Armstrongish plaint)demented chanting (deedeedeedee …

deedeedeetABLE)special pronuciations (Bhhhr-e-e-a-a-duh,

t.a.b.le.s.a.n.d.ch.ai.r.s)(walks: groucho, flying nun, stiff-legged

side-step, and wiggle-butt)

Re-babbling (Galen, 19 - 21 mo)

baby-bAby, baby-bAby, baby-bAby, baby-bAby ... (coming from the chorus of a song his mother also reduplicated endlessly)

woodsy, woodsy, woodsy, woodsy, ... (repeating the name of a toy squirrel)

dzuaaha, dzuaaha, dzuaaha, dzuaaha, ... budgia, budgia, budgia, budgia … (I think they just sounded good)

dibbadibbadibba —What’s Galen saying? (19 mo)

Syntax (Galen)Hellooo Papa! Hellooo cat! Hellooo pitzy truck! (c17 mo; said to everybody

and everything, with devout conviction that an answer would come back) More X! (More books! More banana! More sticks! ...; c17 mo) Want some juice now, for Galen. (19 mo) Go! Go! Go! (c18 mo; said while running full tilt in no specific direction)Let’s go! (c18 mo; said just before running full titlt in no specific direction)Run! Run! Run! (c18 mo; see “Go! Go! Go!”)I’ll take it! (c19 mo, of anything which took his fancy)Must take it! (c20 mo; this one often had a noun in place of the pronoun, as

in “Must take tractor!”)Go this way! (Let’s go this way!;18 - 22 mo; said, usually in the car but

sometimes when being carried, while pointing in any direction you’re not going)

Maybe X! (Maybe sit down! Maybe read a book! Maybe sit down right here!; 19 mo)

Galen’s First passive constituent-question

G:What are they doing there? (He had seen some potato chips in a store)IR:Waiting to be bought and eaten, I guess.G:What are they going to be eaten for ... with ... what are they going to be eaten for ... by ... Who are they going to be eaten by? (27 mo)

I’m a bit sore today.

I don’t want you to be sore. I want you to be clean. I want

you to be clean in your diaphragm.

You’ve got a freckle.

What’s a freckle called?

It’s called a “freckle”.

No. What are freckles called?

Maybe means “no”!I know it means “yes or no” but it really means “no”.I know what it really means, but … Just forget about it!It means no!

[To a stuffed pig:] You miss your parents? That’s OK. I have a memory of them. They were pink. Just a minute, I have a memory of them. [Goes off and returns with a long pink snake.] Here it is. It’s a memory of your mom and dad.

This is an other-nose, and this is an other-nose. (pointing, 28 mo)

Peat

Peats [s]

Wug

Wugs [z]

Bleege

Bleeges [´z]

Morphology (Galen)

Those are ambulances , Papa: ambulancES! (21 mo)

I’m digestING my penne, mommy. DigestING. (28 mo)

WolFS, papa, wolFS. Not wolVES, wolFS (28 mo)I’m up-pleased (c 27-29 mo)

I need a ball to tennis (26 mo; upon picking up a tennis racket)

What’s it for tanking? (27 mo; of a tanker truck)

I get it! One octopi is an octopus, but two octopusses is an octopi!

Morphology (Oriana)

…need to keep our hands undry. (38 mo)

It was still unwet (38 mo)

[on finding a newspaper in our driveway]Somebody slobbed us!

Galen’s the most unlistener!

Well, Linda and Auntie Dolly are bestest mommies in the world. But you’re the most bester mommy in the world, mommy!

Sameday

Lexical innovation (Oriana)

That will feel me better! (also, That will feel me up)

Fish! Dragon! I’ll call it a ‘funny-fish dragon’. Is that a good deal?

Oriana: ‘Na’ means I’m going to be your sister again. Okay? Okay, Galen?

Galen: Whatever.

Oriana:….. Na! …. Na! …. Na! Na, Galen!

Well, papa. I don’t want you to do no

more jokeness. You did jokeness. Why did you do that? That jokeness.

Lookit!That’s a school, a

school of fish.

Which one’s the teacher?

Mmm-hmm

… Thumbelina’s warmness saved the

swallow. …

… Her warmth revived the swallow. …

Philosophy of language

Hello cat. I’m fine. I’m fine. You’re fine. (Oriana, 19 mo)Don’t be noisy, wind! I’m talking, wind! Don’t be noisy! That’s

rude! Don’t be rude, wind! (Galen, 27 mo)Don’t blow! Wind! Don’t blow! (Oriana, 32 mo)No! Don’t say that! Don’t say it, Papa! (Oriana, 26 mo)I’m pretending you didn’t tell me that. You pretend too, Papa!

(Galen, 28 mo)

G: I want some salt, please, Mommie.M: Just a minute, Darlo.G: Some salt please, Mommie.M: … no response ...G: Some of that white stuff there. (Galen, 27 mo)

StagesPre-natal0 - 2 mo

reflexive, vegetative2 - 5 mo

responsive cooing, laughing4 - 7 mo

babbling6 - 12 mo

reduplicative babbling9 - 18 mo

non-reduplicative babbling18 - 72 mo

all hell breaks loose

Phoneme acquisition

Syntactic acquisition

Lexical acquisitionMorphological acquisition

L1 Acquisition

StagesPrenatal learning - syntactic acquisition

PhonologyCardinal consonants & vowelsConsonant progressionSubstitutions

Lexical acquisitionResponsive cooing - “noun” gathering

Kids’ philosophy of languagePower and omnipresence of language