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Today we will be:Reviewing language aquisition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQettw8c9BY&feature=fvwrel
What does „language aquisition“ mean?
= The way in which we learn languages.
the process of learning a native or a second language.
Language acquisitionLanguage acquisition We are not born speaking!We are not born speaking! Language must be acquired.Language must be acquired. If we think of all that is entailed in If we think of all that is entailed in
knowing a language, it seems quite knowing a language, it seems quite a challenge.a challenge.
What Does a Baby Hear?
Language instinct?Language instinct?
Language is innate – only surface details need be learned?
Human brain pre-programmed for language?
Language a result of general cognitive abilities of the brain?
Neither tells us what specific language to learn or particular structures to memorize.
Language UniversalsLanguage Universals What evidence is there for innate
knowledge of certain basic language features present in all human languages? LINGUISTIC UNIVERSALS > UNIVERSAL LINGUISTIC UNIVERSALS > UNIVERSAL
GRAMMARGRAMMAR All languages have:
A grammar Basic word order (in terms of SOV, etc.) Nouns and verbs Subjects and objects Consonants and vowels Absolute and implicational tendencies
E.g., If a language has VO order, then modifiers tend to follow the head)
““Universal GrammarUniversal Grammar””
Humans then learn to specialize this “universal grammar” (UG) for the particulars of their language.
Word order, syntactic rule preferencesWord order, syntactic rule preferences Phonetic and phonological constraintsPhonetic and phonological constraints LexiconLexicon Semantic interpretationsSemantic interpretations Pragmatic ways to conversePragmatic ways to converse
5. Follow milestonesFollow milestones
In spite of different backgrounds, different locations, and different upbringings, most children follow the very same milestones in acquiring language.
6. Observe a critical periodObserve a critical period
What is a critical period?What is a critical period? For first language acquisition, there
seems to be a critical period of the first five years, during which children must be exposed to rich input. There is also a period, from about 10-16 years, when acquisition is possible, but not native-like.
The Critical Period The Critical Period HypothesisHypothesis CPH: Proposed by LennebergCPH: Proposed by Lenneberg
This hypothesis states that there is only a small window of time for a first language to be natively acquired.
If a child is denied language input, she will not acquire language Genie: a girl discovered at age 13 who had
not acquired her L1 (-- Isabelle and Victor) Normal hearing child born to deaf parents,
heard language only on TV, did not acquire English L1
So how DO we So how DO we learn our first learn our first language?language?
L1 acquisitionL1 acquisition
Sound production/babblingSound production/babblingPhonological acquisitionPhonological acquisitionMorphological/Syntactical Morphological/Syntactical
acquisitionacquisitionSemantic developmentSemantic development
Caretaker SpeechCaretaker SpeechA register characterized by:
Simplified lexiconSimplified lexicon Phonological reductionPhonological reduction Higher pitchHigher pitch Stressed intonationStressed intonation Simple sentencesSimple sentences High number of interrogatives (Mom) & High number of interrogatives (Mom) &
imperatives (Dad)imperatives (Dad)Caretaker Speech
Acquisition of phoneticsAcquisition of phonetics Few weeks: cooing and gurgling,
playing with sounds. Their abilities are constrained by physiological limitations.
4 months: distinguish between [a] and [i], so their perception skills are good.
4-6 months: children babble, putting together vowels and consonants. This is not a conscious process! Experiment with articulation
7-10 months: starts repeated babbling. 10-12 months, children produce a
variety of speech sounds. (even ‘foreign’ sounds)
Acquisition of phonologyAcquisition of phonology
Early stage: Unanalyzed syllables 15-21 months: words as a sequence of
phonemes. Mastery of sounds differing in
distinctive features (e.g., voicing) Duplicated syllables: mama, dadamama, dada - CV
is main syllable structure. They reduce = bananabanana [na.nana.na] 2 syllable words
Early mastery of intonation contours (even in non-tone languages)
Perception comes before production (‘fisfis’ or ‘fishfish’?)
Phonological Processes
LexiconLexiconBegin with simple lexical items for
people/food/toys/animals/body functions
Lexical Achievement:Lexical Achievement: 1-2 years old 200-300 words (avg) 3 years old 900 words 4 years old 1500 words 5 years old 2100 words 6-7 years old 2500 words High school grad 40,000 – 60,000 words!
“5,000 per year, 13 words a day” -- Miller & Gildea
But DonBut Don’’t Animals Know Words, t Animals Know Words, Too?Too?
Yes, but…what about…? Just (very) Just (very) brilliant vs. just (only)just (only) a little
dirty vs. a just (right)just (right) person Blunt (dull)Blunt (dull) instrument vs. blunt (sharp)blunt (sharp)
comment I was literally (meaning figuratively)literally (meaning figuratively)
climbing the walls. Clip (on)Clip (on) a pin vs clip (off)clip (off) hair Cleave (together)Cleave (together) vs cleave (apart)cleave (apart) Dust (remove)Dust (remove) or dust (sprinkle)dust (sprinkle) And what does inflammableinflammable mean?
The acquisition ofThe acquisition of morphosyntaxmorphosyntax
At about 12 months, children begin producing words consistently.
One-word stageOne-word stage (holophrastic stage): Name people, objects, etc. An entire sentence is one word
Two-word stage:Two-word stage: Approximately 18-24 months Use consistent set of word orders: N-
V, A-N, V-N… With structure determined by
semantic relationships agent+action (baby sleep) possessor+possession (Mommy book)
Telegraphic stageTelegraphic stage (only content words)
Negative FormationsNegative Formations Negatives 1st stage - attach no/notno/not to beginning
of sentence (sometimes at end) 2nd stage – negatives appear
between subject and verb (dondon’’tt stayed at beginning in imperatives, but not cancan’’tt)
3rd stage – appearance of nobody/nothingnobody/nothing & anybody/anythinganybody/anything & inconsistent use of “to be” verb isis and auxiliary “dummy” dodo verb.
Question FormationsQuestion Formations 1st stage – wh- word placed in front of
rest of sentence: WhereWhere daddy go? daddy go? 2nd stage – addition of an auxiliary verb:
Where you Where you willwill go? go? 3rd stage – subject noun changes places
with the auxiliary: Where Where will will you go?you go?
Acquisition of SemanticsAcquisition of Semantics
Concrete before abstract:Concrete before abstract: ‘‘in/onin/on’’ before before ‘‘behind/in frontbehind/in front’’
Overextensions:Overextensions: Using Using ‘‘moonmoon’’ for anything for anything
roundround Using Using ‘‘dogdog’’ for any four-legged for any four-legged
animalsanimals Underextensions:Underextensions:
The word The word ‘‘birdbird’’ may not may not include include ‘‘pigeonpigeon’’, etc, etc
Reviewing Linguistic StagesReviewing Linguistic Stages 6-12 weeks:6-12 weeks: Cooing (googoo, gurgling,
coocoo) 6 months:6 months: Babbling (baba, mama, dada) 8-9 months:8-9 months: Intonation patterns 1-1.5 years:1-1.5 years: Holphrastic stage (one word) 2 years:2 years: Two-word stage 2.5 years:2.5 years: Telegraphic stage 3,4 – 11 years:3,4 – 11 years: Fluent speech w/errors 12 years+:12 years+: Fluent speech