340_16howchildrenacquirelanguage

8/2/2019 340_16HowChildrenAcquireLanguage

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How Children AcquireLanguage


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Video

Out of the Mouths of Babes


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Four Theories about LanguageAcquisition

1. Imitation (modeling)

2. Reinforcement (Rewards and Punishment)

3. Constructing grammar from

input/experience(1- 3 are all learning theories)

4. Absorption of a specific language intoan already existing general languagestructure in the brain: innateness

hypothesis


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Imitation : Children memorize words andsentences they hear from a language.

Pros Language symbols are

arbitrary and not

logically connected tothe things theyrepresent

Children only learn thelanguage people around

them speak

Cons Children use forms of

words that adults neversay

The mistakes childrenmake are consistentbetween children andbetween languagegroups

Children produce wordsand sentences theyhave never heard.

Children undertandwords and sentencesthey have never heard.

Consensus saysCons Win !

X


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Reinforcement: Children learn to speakby being praised or corrected by adults.

Pros

???????

Cons Corrections are rare

when total number ofspeech events isconsidered.

Praise is rare when thetotal number of speechevents is considered.

Even without ANYpraise or correctionschildren acquirelanguage

Praise or correctionsfrequently dont changechild language.

Consensus saysCons Win !

X


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Input/Experience : Children figure outand learn grammatical patterns from hearingadult language patterns

ProsChildren makesystematic mistakes

in grammar by overregularizing forms

Cons

The speed with whichchildren acquire all of

the grammaticalpatterns of alanguage is so rapidthat is is difficult tosee how they can

figure out allgrammar fromexperience in so shorta timeA Tie?


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Over Regularized Forms

Verb FormsChildren learn such past tense patterns as

e.g. walked, hugged, wanted,

then apply the rules to irregular verbs

e.g.bringed, eated, runned

Nouns

Given nonsense nouns like wug childrenmake them plural by adding s

and

Children regularize plurals of irregular nouns

e.g. womans, mans


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Innateness Hypothesis1. Childrens brains have a languageacquisition device that already containsthe full range of structural possibilitiesinherent in language (universal grammar)

. This device absorbs the specific languagethe child hears.

2. Children use the structural patterns theyhear and discard the structural patterns they

do not hear.

3. Children do not have to learn structuralpatterns. They only have to choose between

them.


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Arguments for InnateLanguage Acquisition Device Perception for speech sounds is better than

perception for other sounds

Congenitally deaf children will learn sign language atabout the rate that normal children learn spokenlanguage, and will progress through roughly thesame stages.

Children are not exposed to as rich a variety ofspeech as they are able to develop.

Parts of the brain seem to be specialized forlanguage processing

Parts of our physiology (larynx, highly manipulabletongue) seem to have no purpose except to facilitate

the use of speech.


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Lennebergs Six Componentsof Innate Behavior

1. Emerges before it is necessary.

2. Is not the result of a consciousdecision.

3. Is not triggered by externalevents.

4. Teaching and practice have little

effect5. There is a regular developmental

sequence

6. Emerges during a critical period ofdevelopment


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1. Language emerges beforeit is necessary.

Language emerges between theages of 12 and 24 months while

the child is completelydependent on parents forsurvival.

Although language will be animportant survival tool, it is notimportant to survival at this age.


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2. Language acquisition isnot the result of a

conscious decision.

There is no evidence that children

decide to learn language.

Early language is an spontaneous

game that happens between babiesand their caretakers, not aconscious goal.


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3. Language acquisition isnot triggered by external

events. There is nothing that causes the

emergence of language to begin. All

children begin playing with sound andlanguage regardless of the context inwhich they live.

Children require input, but even

children who do not interact withothers begin the stages of languageacquisition. Without external inputthey may not succeed in acquiringlanguage, but they still initiate the

same behaviors as isolated children.


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4. Teaching and practice havelittle effect on language

acquisition. Parents do not give lessons to their

children to get them to acquirelanguage.

Praise and correction do not occur withenough frequency to account forlanguage proficiency

Praise and correction may have little

effect on language acquisition. Children produce language they havenot heard from others

Children learn language too rapidly tologically derive all linguistic rules fromexperience


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Poverty of theStimulus

If language is learned, thenchildren should only producewords and sentences they have

heard.

If language is learned, then

children should only understandwords and sentences they haveheard.


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5. There is a regulardevelopmental sequence

to language acquisition.Language is acquired in a universalseries of stages regardless of the

cultural and/or linguistic contexta. Babbling

b. Holophrastic speech (1 word)

c. Telegraphic speech (2 word)

d. Functional morpheme acquisitionorder

e. Acquisition of negatives


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a. Babbling

4 to 12 months

Babies begin with strings of soundsand by 12 months are babbling the

full range of sounds used in humanspeech.

Syllables can be detected in babbling

Intonation patterns can be detectedin babbling

Deaf children babble with gestures


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Detecting WordSegments

Example: 7 - 8 month old babies

tibudopabikudaropigolatupabikutibudogolatudaropidaropitibudopabikugolatu

expose babies over time to the above nonsense string thatcontains pabiku a number of times

expose babies to pabiku and novel nonsense sounds and theywill attend to the novel sounds and ignore the pabiku whichthey have heard within the nonsense strings during training

Conclusion: babies can recognize and extract words from thesounds they hear around them.

Jenny R. Saffran 1999


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b. Holophrastic Speech

At about 1 year

The first stage of symbolicconnection of sounds withmeanings

One word sentences

e.g. Go!e.g afuf

e.g. ahbee


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c. Telegraphic Speech

18 to 24 months

Two word sentences

e.g. Mommy up.e.g. Me go.

Evidence of syntax ordering

two meaning symbols Lack function words like articles,

helping verbs, etc.


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c. Functional Morphemes

At 2 to 3 years Add functional morphemes that adjust

the meanings of words

1. Addition of ing to verbs

2. Add prepositions in and on

3. Addition of s

1st to plural nouns

2nd to possessive nouns3rd to present tense verbs

4. Addition of articles (a, an, the)

5. Forms of to be (is going ra th go)


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c. Acquisition of Negatives

1. No in front of sentence

No I go.

2. Negative between subject andverb

I no go.

3. Correct grammaticalintegration


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6. There is a critical period

for language development. Childhood stages are quite regular Ability to acquire language after

puberty declines in all humansregardless of cultural and/or linguisticcontext

People who learn a language afterpuberty retain their first languageaccent.

Deaf individuals who learn to sign afterpuberty sign significantly differentlythan those who learn before.


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Language Development and

Lateralization of the Brain

Lenneberg hypothesized that theacquisition of language is tied tothe lateralization of the brain,which begins at about 2 years oldand proceeds until puberty.


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Isabelle and Genie

ISABELLE found at 6.5 years

cognitively delayed

no aural linguistic input

lived w/ deaf mom inisolation

at 8.5 yrs, achievednormal language skill

GENIE found at 13 years

cognitively delayed

no linguistic input

chained in dark room

learned complexvocabulary but neveracquired syntax


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Study Guide

Isabelle Genie

Imitation

Reinforcement

Constructing grammar from input Innateness hypothesis

Lennenbergs Six Criteria for Innateness Poverty of the stimulus

Babbling

Holophrastic speech Telegraphic speech

Acquiring functional morphemes

Critical period for development

Lateralization of the brain

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