Chapter 1

Question 1

What do humans need to learn to acquire their first language

Answer 1

• How to integrate language with other modes of communication
• Conversational cues
• Syntactical cues

Question 2

How much do children bring ti the task of learning a first language?

Answer 2

Nature and nurture
Vocal tracts and memory for words
Social aspect of language acquisition

Question 3

How is acquisition affected by language differences?

Answer 3

languages differ in terms of phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics

Question 4

Conceptual Complexity

Answer 4

The complexity of a meaning/ ideas being expressed

Question 5

Formal Complexity

Answer 5

The complexity in the variety of forms in a language

E.g. having a single word-ending for plurals

Question 6

Social Dimension of Acquisition

Answer 6

Children learn a language in a community of speakers

Question 7

Cognitive Dimension of Acquisition

Answer 7

Before children start talking, they already learn a lot

Question 8

Rote Learning

Answer 8

Learning that occurs through being talked to and hearing proper forms
E.g. teeth, not tooths

Question 9

Analogy Learning

Answer 9

Learning that occurs by using learned forms as models to decide on plurals for new words
E.g. cat > cats; foot > foots

Question 10

Rule Abstraction

Answer 10

Learning that occurs by creating and using rules

E.g. adding -s for plurals

Question 11

Schema Learning

Answer 11

Learning that occurs by creating a template

E.g. words ending with [s] are plural

Question 12

Most common word orders

Answer 12

SOV and SVO

Question 13

Token-Frequency

Answer 13

Frequently used nouns and verbs

Question 14

Type- Frequency

Answer 14

regular verbs and nouns occur more frequently than irregular ones

Question 15

Parameter Setting

Answer 15

Theory that children start out with default settings for parameters that captures all the dimensions that distinguishes languages

Question 16

Continuity

Answer 16

Study of expression and function as critical clues to see how language is acquired (study of the process)

Question 17

Goal of Acquisition

Answer 17

To become a member of a community of speakers

Question 18

7-10 months
16 months
16+ months
2 years
1-6 years
10-12 years

Answer 18

7-10 months: babbling
16 months: recognizing words
16+ months: combining words and gestures
2 years: producing first word combinations
1-6 years: acquire more linguistic skill and sound adult-like
10-12 years: mastered complex constructions and vocabulary