Module 9 Flashcards
Theories of Acquisition
- Imitation
- Reinforcement
- Active Construction of a Grammar
- Connectionist Theories
Imitation
Main idea: children imitate what they hear
Reinforcement
Main idea: children learn through positive and negative reinforcement
Active Construction of a Grammar
Children invent grammar rules themselves.
• Ability to develop rules is innate.
Connectionist Theories
Claims that exposure to language develops and strengthens neural connections.
Critical Period Hypothesis
basic idea: there is a critical period in development during
which a language can be acquired like a native speaker
Stages of Development
- Babbling
• starts at about 6 months of age
• not linked to biological needs
• pitch and intonation resemble language spoken around them
Stages of Development
One-word
• begins around age 1
• speaks one-word sentences (called ‘holophrastic’)
• usually 1-syllable words, with CV structure
• consonant clusters reduced
• words learned as a whole, rather than a sequence of sounds
• ‘easier’ sounds produced earlier
• Manner:
nasals > glides > stops > liquids > fricatives > affricates
• Place:
labials > velars > alveolars > palatals
• better perception than production (e.g. difficult sounds like [r])
Stages of Development
3. two-word stage • starts at about 1.5-2 years of age • vocabulary of +/- 50 words • sentences consist of two words (telegraphic) • e.g. allgone sock • those two words could have a number of relations • e.g. Daddy car • usually lacks function words • usually lacks inflectional morphology
Stages of Development
- beyond 2-word stage
• sentences with 3+ words (no 3-word stage)
• begins using function words
• have already learned some aspects of grammar:
• word order (e.g. SVO in English, SOV in Japanese)
• position of determiners
• etc.
• grammar resembles adult grammar by about age 5
Language Acquisition
All (normal) human children…
• learn a language.
• can learn any language they are exposed to.
• learn all languages at basically the same rate.
• follow the same stages of language acquisition
Sonorous
deep and full in sound
Conjure
to call upon or make something appear
Merit
quality of being good or worthy
Slovenly
messy and dirty (mostly in appearance)
quaint
old fashioned
Sociolinguistic
study in relation to social factors
Gutturals
harsh sound produced in the throat
Nasality
nasal speech sound
Disparaged
regard or represent with small worth
Meretricious
attractive but having no value or integrity
Vulgar
lacking sophistication
woeful
expressive or sorrow
Incontestable
not able to be disputed
