Case Studies Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is the ‘FIS’ phenomenon in language development?
It refers to children’s phonological simplification when learning to speak — for example, saying ‘fis’ instead of ‘fish’. It shows how children use consistent, rule-based phonological processes to handle unfamiliar or complex sounds.
This phenomenon illustrates the active role children play in language ac
What does the ‘fis’ phenomenon reveal about early language development?
It shows children don’t mimic sounds passively but actively construct rules, supporting the nativist view that humans are biologically predisposed to acquire language (Chomsky’s LAD theory).
What are feral children, and why are they important in language development studies?
Feral children are those raised without human linguistic interaction. They’re key case studies in understanding the critical period hypothesis, which suggests there’s a biologically determined window for language acquisition.
Give an example of a feral child case study.
Genie Wiley (1970s, USA) – discovered aged 13 after extreme isolation. Despite intervention, she never fully acquired grammar, supporting the critical period hypothesis (Lenneberg).
What did the BBC Horizon documentary ‘The Secret of the Wild Child’ show about Genie Wiley?
It demonstrated that although Genie could learn vocabulary, she failed to grasp syntax, providing evidence that language development is time-sensitive and depends on early social interaction.
What did Deb Roy’s TED Talk reveal about language development?
Roy recorded his son’s first years and showed how the word ‘water’ evolved from ‘gaga.’ He coined the idea of a ‘language landscape,’ showing how context and repetition drive word learning — supporting social interactionist theory.
What is the ‘language landscape’ in Deb Roy’s research?
It’s the environment of words a child hears, mapped onto moments and locations in their home. It demonstrates how language is shaped by and embedded in everyday human interaction.
How does Stephen Fry’s Planet Word contribute to our understanding of language?
It explores how language is linked to identity, power, and socialisation. He includes insights from neuroscience and anthropology, reinforcing that language is both biological and deeply cultural.
What is one key example from Planet Word that illustrates language evolution?
Fry visits Namibia to explore the Khoisan click languages, showing the variety of phonetic possibilities in human speech and supporting theories about the African origins of language.
How do opinion articles often portray the importance of early language exposure?
They stress the link between early verbal interaction and later academic success, often referencing studies linking language richness at home to cognitive development — supporting Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory.
How do case studies like Jim (the boy of deaf parents) support the interactionist theory?
Despite being exposed to TV and radio, Jim lacked conversation. Only after speech therapy did he develop language — proving that interaction, not just exposure, is crucial for development (evidence for Bruner’s theory of scaffolding).
What’s the difference between Chomsky’s and Skinner’s views on language acquisition?
Chomsky (nativist) argues language is innate (LAD), while Skinner (behaviourist) believed it’s learned through imitation and reinforcement. Modern research leans toward a blend (interactionist theory).
Who are the Kaluli tribe, and why are they important in language acquisition studies?
The Kaluli people of Papua New Guinea don’t engage in typical ‘baby talk’ or direct communication with infants. Despite this, children still acquire language normally — challenging theories that prioritise child-directed speech (CDS) and supporting the idea that social exposure, not simplification, drives acquisition.
How does the Kaluli case challenge the role of CDS in language learning?
It shows that infants don’t need simplified or high-pitched input (motherese) to acquire language — instead, they learn by observing interaction between others in the community, supporting more interactionist and observational theories of acquisition.
What was observed in multilingual households and its effect on language development?
Children in multilingual environments (e.g. in India or Luxembourg) often code-switch early and learn to differentiate languages by context — this supports cognitive flexibility theories and challenges the idea that learning multiple languages causes confusion or delay.
How do homesign and Nicaraguan Sign Language support language innateness theories?
Deaf children in Nicaragua spontaneously created a fully grammatical sign language when brought together. It suggests humans have an innate linguistic capacity — supporting Chomsky’s Universal Grammar and LAD.
What did the Nicaraguan Sign Language case reveal about language development?
Over generations, children added increasing grammatical complexity, showing how language evolves and is refined by its users. It’s evidence for a biologically ingrained ability to develop grammar even without formal instruction.
How does the case of the Heath community (Shirley Brice Heath) inform us about language acquisition in different cultures?
Heath studied African-American and white working-class communities in the US. She found that middle-class parents used more questions and interactive talk with children, while working-class families emphasised obedience. This impacted children’s school readiness, revealing the role of cultural expectations in shaping language use.
What did Hart and Risley (1995) find about early language exposure?
Children from wealthier families heard around 30 million more words by age 3 than those from low-income families. This ‘word gap’ was linked to later academic success, stressing the importance of early verbal interaction.
How do children in Samoan or Polynesian societies acquire language differently?
In many Polynesian cultures, children are spoken about, not to, until they can speak themselves. Like the Kaluli, they learn through overhearing, which supports the idea that direct interaction isn’t always necessary for language acquisition.
What does the case of the deaf twins in the UK reveal?
In the 1970s, two deaf twins created a private sign system that no one else understood. This supports the idea that children will develop language-like systems even without conventional input — reinforcing nativist theories.
What are the implications of case studies like Genie and the Kaluli for education policy?
They suggest that timing, interaction, and cultural variation must be considered in language education — with Genie’s case stressing early intervention, and Kaluli studies challenging universal assumptions about what kinds of input children need.
