child lang

Question 1

Words and Rules

Answer 1

Pinker: Dual Route Model
1. regular forms follow a rule
2. irregular forms are stored in the mental lexicon

Question 2

Parameters

Answer 2

Chomsky
The input language triggers a parameter in the child’s LAD which specifies where on a universal dimension of a feature that language sits

Question 3

Universal Grammar

Answer 3

Chomsky
Core aspects of grammatical knowledge shared by all languages that is innate in the child

Question 4

Languages choose among universals

Answer 4

Valian
Individual languages pick and choose which parameters they will adhere to from the universal toolbox

Question 5

Semantic/syntactic bootstrapping

Answer 5

Pinker
Using existing knowledge to facilitate acquisition of novel abilities/assist acquisition in a different domain

Question 6

Give four explanations for overextension

Answer 6

Categorical errors
Pragmatic errors: solution for gap in the lexicon
Retrieval failures: overwhelmed by organisational principles of the lexicon due to rapid vocab growth
Lexical processing: competition between semantic or phonological codes

Question 7

Mutual Exclusivity

Answer 7

When a monolingual child uses knowledge of a known term/word to determine a referent that is unknown (fast mapping)

Question 8

What are the three learning biases?

Answer 8

Noun bias: dominant in early vocab
Whole object bias: assume the labels refer to whole instead of part/other attributes
Shape bias: distinct cue to a novel object, may be culturally specific

Question 9

Pivot schemas

Answer 9

Braine
Abstraction across lexical slots in the schema to produce a new utterance
Rote learned holophrases with moveable slots

Question 10

Joint attention

Answer 10

Tomasello
When adult and child can converge their attention onto something external in the environment. Represents the diadic/triadic relationship that is a prerequisite to social language

Question 11

Babbling in English-French

Answer 11

Maneva et al.
Bilingual infant was tailoring early language productions to the interlocutor’s language (ENG mother, FR father)

Question 12

Faculty of language narrow

Answer 12

Chomsky
Mechanisms of language that are unique to humans
Phonology, words, grammar, memory, categorical perception, statistical learning

Question 13

Faculty of language broad

Answer 13

Chomsky
Other animals share the biological capacity to acquire communication systems

Question 14

What are the phonological elements of CDS?

Answer 14

Exaggerated intonation
Higher pitch
Slower speech - syllable lengthening, longer pauses

Question 15

What are the lexical elements of CDS?

Answer 15

Conversation about present topics
Emphasis on concrete concepts
Object word prominence

Question 16

What are the forms of corrective input in CDS?

Answer 16

Recasts: repetition of child’s utterance with variations to correct
Clarification questions
Disapproval: explicit correction of meaning

Question 17

Categorical Perception

Answer 17

Infants are sensitive to both native and non-native contrasts
Between 6-12 months there is gradual specialisation for the native language

Question 18

Native Language Neural Commitment Hypothesis

Answer 18

Kuhl, 2004
Meaningful social interaction kickstarts language acquisition as infants develop neural commitments to native contrasts
Narrowing of perceptual range

Question 19

Limited exposure assumption

Answer 19

Universal grammatical rules enable a generative system so that infinite amount of utterances can be made

Question 20

Structure Dependence

Answer 20

Human intuition about the structural constraints of their native language that is never explicitly taught or found in input

Question 21

Distributional analyses

Answer 21

Ambridge et al., 2010
Children are sensitive to the surface distributional properties of language and acquire structure dependent grammar on the basis of input which exhibits these properties. particular with double-auxiliary IS
Children do occasionally make structure dependence errors -> auxiliary CAN

Question 22

Recursion

Answer 22

Hauser
The process of combining different linguistic elements to produce grammatical structure. Was thought to be universal until Piraha showed no evidence of recursion