Cognitivisim

• Tomasello- usage based theory

  • a number of cognitive developments take place with the emergence of language
  • children bring their pattern-finding and intention-reading skills to CLA
• Vygotsky- ZPD

  • Children learn language which is between what they already know and what is out of their reach
• Case study- Oxana Malaya

  • had a cognitive disability yet learned to speak fluently and intelligibly
  • Criticizes cognitivist theories
• Piaget

  • language comes from wider understanding and object permanence
• Lenneburg- neuromuscular disease

  • the boy had a condition and could not imitate adults or have his utterances reinforced yet could still comprehend language
  • contrasts Skinner
• examples of cognitivisim in data

  • children talking to themseles- shows they are trying to make sense using language
  • failing to use language as they havent grasped the concpet discussed
• Vygotsky

  • our cultural surroundings affect our language
  • culturally specific nouns + adjectives that may be obscure to most children