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Comunicación y Gerencia

See Website “handouts” for Fundamentals of Language

From Handout

• Phonology

• Grammar– Morphology– Syntax

• Semantics

• Pragmatics

Stages of Lang. Stages of Lang. Development Development

Crying / Fake criesBegins: during first month1st sounds, initially reflexiveFunction: partially to get the attention of the caregiver but mostly to hear themselvesOnset: related to reflexive responsesAdults & children can detect the difference btwn. real & fake cries

Stages of Lang. Stages of Lang. DevelopmentDevelopment

CooingBegins: @ 3 - 5 weeksstarts with vowel soundsopen mouthed, vowel-like gurglingFunction: social response & self-entertainmentOnset: related to /\ in visual attention & /\ in tongue control

Examples

• 1097- 1.5 months

• 1401- 5 months

Stages of Lang. Stages of Lang. DevelopmentDevelopmentBabbling

Begins: 4 - 7th monthrepetition of consonants & vowels (ba ba ba)early babbling, all children sound the sameby 8 months, babbling limited to sounds in native languageFunction: cooing & babbling prime infant for speech production

facilitate their ability to distinguish between soundsfirst attempts at communicationExperimentation: certain “coos/babbles only occur in certain contexts

Onset: triggered by increased control over vocal production mechanisms

consonant sounds added to cooing vowel soundsvocalizations become increasingly speech like at endmay accidentally say words

Pat Kuhl- 53:17

Stages of Lang. Stages of Lang. DevelopmentDevelopment

Holophrasic periodBegins: 10 - 12 monthsone word at a time, conveys whole sentenceto understand meaning, parents use contextual cuesJoint Attention *******naming objects (doggie, runner, car) 65 - 70% of speechverbs, actions (go, eat) 20%Function: communicationOnset: related to cognitive ability

the understanding that things have names we use those names to talk about things.

Stages of Lang. Stages of Lang. DevelopmentDevelopment

Telegraphic speechBegins: 18 - 24 monthscombinations - but contain only key words. “doggie go bye -bye” simple sentences, abbreviated form, conveys essential infoStill need context to convey meaningFunction: communicationOnset: associated with experience, motivation, desire to communicate

• Examples of the need for context– Kaylin- 2 yrs, 4 mo.– Anika- 4 years, 7 mo.

Language TheoriesLanguage TheoriesHow do children learn grammer?How do children learn grammer?

Learning perspective (experience with other speakers is key)Imitation- Leonard Bloomfield (1933)

learn rules by imitation learn grammatically appropriate speech by hearing correct formshear it once, store it away for future use

Correct????it IS responsible for:

accents we developvocabulary we usespeech patterns

Reinforcement -BF Skinner (1957)language develops from simple to complexthere are correct & incorrect word ordersadult speakers shape child’s acquisition of these probabilities by reinforcing desired patterns and ignoring undesired patterns

Correct?????

Language TheoriesLanguage Theories

Nativist perspective: must be a biological component - even the simplest of languages are far too complex for us to learn from experience, our parents, or through trial & error process. Research also shows that explicit grammar correction does not occur.

Language acquisition device (LAD)- Noam Chomskyhumans have inborn model (template) of human language composed of

an inborn linguistic process activated by verbal inputan innate knowledge of grammarability-all children can learn grammar

Chomsky says that the LAD has a universal grammar or rules that are common to all languagesCorrect?

Language TheoriesLanguage TheoriesEvidence for Nativist TheoryCritical Period? Sensitive Period?

Window of timeNot just one way to learnchild aphasias

If early insult to left hemisphere, we see linguistic function taken over by right hemisphereif insult occurs during or after adolescence function is lost permanently

Wild child, Genieupon recovery, learned language (vocabulary) at amazing ratenever mastered the grammar (syntax specifically)

Language TheoriesLanguage Theories

Arguments against nativistNo proof for existence of this specific part

of brain (no proof of biological mechanism)IF there is a universal grammar, why do we

have so many forms (so many languages)IF language is strictly biological, why does

it take so long to mature (slow, gradual process, different rates in different children, passive vs. active voice)

Language TheoriesLanguage Theories

Social Interactionist perspectiveIt takes both a biological component and an experiential component.We are biologically prepared to learn language – innate abilitiesIt takes a linguistically rich environmentWhy do we talk to babies in “THAT” way?

Language TheoriesLanguage TheoriesMotherese/parentese – infant directed speech (language experience aimed at infant’s innate preferences)

infants have preference for high pitched voices, moving facesuniversal tendency of parents/sibs to tailor speech (both length & complexity) to agehigh pitched, slow delivery, emphasisspeech becomes more elaborate as infants get older

Strategies for Lang DevStrategies for Lang DevMutual activities

Vocal imitation – parent imitates infant’s vocalizationsReciprocal imitation – back & forth between parent & childNon-linguistic games (peek-a-boo)-Infants learn turn-taking, anticipation, attentionReading – early books w/ pictures- Joint attention (both paying attention to the same thing)Joint attention and pointing

Protodeclarative and protoimperative pointing

Strategies for Lang DevStrategies for Lang DevRecasting

responding to a child’s ungrammatical utterance with a grammatically improved (but identical) form of the statement Doggie goYes, the dog is going away

Expansionsresponding to a child’s ungrammatical utterance with a non-repetitive statement that is grammatically correct and goes BEYOND what the child said.Doggie goYes, the dog is scared of the loud car

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