Language Acquisition

Question 1

Innateness Hypothesis

Answer 1

our ability to acquire language is innate (genetically encoded)

Question 2

Universal GrammaR

Answer 2

the set of structural characteristics shared by all languages

Question 3

Theories of Acquisition

Answer 3

Imitation, reinforcement, active construction of a grammar, and connectionist theories

Question 4

Imitation

Answer 4

is necessary but not sufficient on its own, children imitate what they hear

Question 5

reinforcement

Answer 5

children learn through positive and negative reinforcement.

Question 6

Active Contruction of Grammar

Answer 6

children invent grammar rules; the ability to develop rules is innate. This accounts for deviation of grammar during stages of development. Not mutually exclusive from Connectionist theories.

Question 7

Connectionist Thoeries

Answer 7

Claims that exposure to language develops and strengthens neural connections. Accounts for frequency effects. Not mutually exclusive from active grammar reinforcement.

Question 8

Critical Period Hypothesis

Answer 8

There is a critical period in development when a language can be acquired like a native speaker. After this period it is impossible to acquire a language as well as a native speaker. OR There are sensitive periods during which the case of learning certain aspects of language declines.

Question 9

Prelinguistic

Answer 9

baby noises in response to biological needs, not babbling.

Question 10

Babbling

Answer 10

not related to biological needs. About six moths of age: pitch and intonation resemble speech sounds

Question 11

One Word Stage

Answer 11

around age 1, one words sentences (holophrastic), one syllable words.

Question 12

Two word Stage

Answer 12

1.5-2 years. About 50 word vocabulary. two word sentences (telegraphic), lack function words. Lack inflectional morphology.

Question 13

Beyond 2 word stage

Answer 13

3+ words. Use function words. Some aspects of grammar word order, Grammar resembles adult grammar by age 5

Question 14

Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

Answer 14

born with this, chilren use the LAD to make sense of the utterances heard around them.

Question 15

Structure dependency

Answer 15

language is organized in such a way that it crucially depends on the structural relationships between elements in a sentence,

Question 16

Head Parameter

Answer 16

specifies the position of the head in relation to its compliments within phrases for different language.

Question 17

Surface Structure

Answer 17

the physicals properties of language.

Question 18

Deep Structure

Answer 18

The core semantic relations of a sentence and was mapped to the surface structure via transformations.

Question 19

minimalism

Answer 19

the development of ideas involving economy of derivation and economy of representation in transformational theory.

Question 20

transformation

Answer 20

development of a deep structure as a means of increasing the mathematical and descriptive power of context free grammar

Question 21

Economy of Derivation

Answer 21

principle stating that movements only occur in order to match interpretable features with uninterpretable features.

Question 22

Economy of Representation

Answer 22

the principle that grammatical structures must exist for a purpose. “short and sweet language”

Question 23

Cognitive thoery

Answer 23

Language acquisition must be viewed within the context of a child’s intellectual development.