child language acquisition

• ISAAC SLOBIN


  supports CHOMSKY LAD ,, stated that human anatomy was specifically designed for speech and that humans developed their vocal tracts to allow for precise articulation of a wide repertoire of vocal sounds. he said some areas of the brain were closely linked to language eg broca's + Wernicke's area so if there is damage suffered to these brain areas via a stroke language would also suffer as a result
• JEAN BURKO'S WUG EXPERIMENT


  criticism of skinner's behaviourist theory. he suggested that children can accurately apply linguistic rules to words they haven't heard or used before for eg in his study the children stated "there are two wugs" from the singular word "wug". this demonstrates their ability to pluralise a word by adding the standard 's' inflection to the word suggesting they're developing their language without imitating their caregivers.
• CRITICISM of skinner's behaviourist theory 1

  there are different ways of expressing the same notion for example "leave it" "don't touch it" "hands off". children aren't learning all the possible ways of saying the same thing through copying as they won't hear all the possible ways from their caregiver
• CRITICISM of skinner's behaviourist theory 2

  a child will say things an adult wouldn't for example using incorrect grammar. an eg is using the non standard plural 's' inflection "look at those mens" suggesting they are not copying this from an adult through reinforcements because adults wouldn't make that mistake
• BRAINE'S OTHER SPOON THEORY


  children can't be corrected!! the child kept saying "other one spoon" and caregiver corrected to "other spoon" but child wouldn't learn so until they are able to they can't learn as soon as.
• what are the 6 pronunciation patterns

  1. deletion

  2. substitution

  3. addition

  4. reduplication

  5. consonant cluster reduction

  6. deletion of unstressed syllables
• what is CONSONANT CLUSTER REDUCTION???

  child will miss out consonants when they occur in groups eg "pider" instead of "spider"
• deletion of unstressed syllables

  "nana" instead of "banana"
• example of substitution (pronunciation pattern)

  child will substitute one sound 4 another sound eg "tip" instead of "ship" - most common of fricative sounds
• what are the 5 stages of lexical development

  1 = protoword

  2 = holophrase

  3 = two word

  4= telegraphic

  5 = post telegraphic
• PROTOWORDS

  9-12 months. they are words only the caregiver will understand. the child makes up this word in replacement for words they cannot pronounce eg "boo" for "balloon"
• HOLOPHRASE


  12-18 months. a single word acting as a whole phrase (begins to use words a wider audience can understand) caregivers useRICH INTERPRRETATIONto figure out the child's needs so they can respond accordingly. eg if child says bunny caregiver may assume they're saying "oh look there's a bunny" or "i want the bunny". caregivers use trial & error and judge child's response 2 figure out what they want
• NELSON ( holophrase )

  he classified a child's first 50 words into 4 categories

  1 - naming things 60%

  2 - social (phatic speech)

  3 - actions (functioning verbs)

  4 - modifying (intellectually challenging)
• LENNEBERG PROPOSED .. (in response 2 genie bae xx)


  the critical period! up to age of 5
• CASE STUDY ON GENIE

  20 months - 11 years she was locked up in isolation by father. when rescued she was unable to speak and despite intensive support she only was able to speak a very basic level
• chomsky criticism


  his theory on nativism focuses only grammar. sentences can be grammatically correct but semantically meaningless eg "colourless green dreams sleep furiously" so learning grammar isn't the same thing as being able to use language. it ignores the role of lang as a social phenomenon - u can't learn language solely from recordings and extract the rules, u have to interact!!
• PIAGET COGNIVITISM1950s. he believed language acquisition was a part of children's wider cog development - thought processes including remembering + problem solving. believed children pass thru series of predictable developmental stages & language is part of that progress = part of bigger learning process. he stated children can only acquire an aspect of language once they have the cognitive skills necessary 2 understand the concept EG; some children don't understand the concept of time & so can't understand tenses.
• object permanence


  piaget's cognitivism; children learn that objects continue to exists whether they can see or feel them, b4 this they think objects stop existing once out of sight + when they see it again it's a new object. = in acquisition once they learn things are stable they begin 2 learn names. happens @ 18 months = massive increase in children's vocabularies.
• classification

  piaget's cog development; learn 2 classify objects + actions = once child learns things come in groups they can divide words into linguistic categories eg nouns verbs adjectives etc
• seriation

  piaget's cog development; learns things come in an order eg cats come in variety of sizes = children learn 2 use comparative adjectives
• criticism against piaget's cognitivism


  1. many ppl w language difficulties do not have poor cog developments

  2. piaget only considers role of language in conveying thoughts - neglects social function of lang (use 2 establish + maintain relationships)
• bruner's ..


  input theory! 1980s
• what did bruner claim

  lang used by parents when talking 2 children is specifically designed 2help children learn. children learn lang in social context "children learn 2 use lang initially to get what they want, to play games + to stay connected to those whom they are they dependent on". he said child directed lang works as a Language Acquisition Support System alongside chomsky's LAD.
• what do adults do according to bruner's input theory

  they use repetition + single clause sentences + concrete nouns
• child directed language operates as a support system bc..


  1 = parents speak more slowly + simply 2 children so it's easier to understand and imitate

  2 = parents expand children's speech
• what are some ways parents use child-directed speech

  - parents introduce new words by using repeated sentence frames

  - use more pauses between phrases so child can absorb speech

  - use higher pitch + exaggerated stress & intonation 2 keep child's attention

  - use more imperatives + interrogatives 2 encourage child 2 engage
• what did bruner notice that parents used when talking to a child

  they tend to use 4-stage structure

  1 = gaining attention - pointing @ pic

  2 = query - asking child 2 identify pic

  3 = label - telling child what object is

  4 = feedback - responding 2 child's utterance
• what is an example of interactions w children using routines to teach children ab spoken discourse structures such as turn taking


  imaginative play eg playing shop
• what did skinner claim

  behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences
• what is operant conditioning


  behaviour that is spontaneous but the consequences of which will affect the future
• support skinner's behaviourist theory

  - children will copy words they've heard parent say

  - acquire same pronunciation as parent - accent features

  - acquire pragmatic features such as politeness from parents
• B.F. Skinner


  The psychologist who proposed the behaviorist theory of language acquisition, which argues that language development is a result of imitating caregivers.
• Children use language functionally


  - Children's first uses of language are to achieve specific goals - Children use language to get what they want, play games, and stay connected to caregivers
• Language used by parents

  - Intuitively adjusted to make it easier for children to understand and learn - Characterized by slower pace, higher pitch, and exaggerated intonation (motherese or child-directed speech)
• Child-directed language works with Chomsky's LAD theory

  - Bruner's LASS theory complements Chomsky's LAD theory - Children's innate capacity to learn language is activated and supported by the language input they receive from caregivers
• Pre-verbal stage


  • 0-4 months: vegetative (e.g. crying)
  • 4-7 months: cooing (e.g. single vowel words)
  • 6-9 months: babbling (e.g. repeated consonant-vowel sounds like "mamamama")
  • 9-12 months: protowords
• Children's pronunciation patterns


  • Deletion: miss out consonants at end of words (e.g. "ca" > "cat")
  • Substitution: substitute one sound for another (e.g. "cat" > "tat", most common with fricative sounds like "ship" > "tip")
  • Addition: add extra vowel at end of word (e.g. "dog" > "doggie")
  • Reduplication: repeat whole syllable (e.g. "mama")
  • Consonant cluster reduction: miss out consonant in groups (e.g. "spider" > "pider")
  • Deletion of unstressed syllables (e.g. "banana" > "nana")
• Places of articulation


  • Bilabial (lips): p, b (plosive), m (nasal)
  • Labio-dental (teeth & lip): f, v (fricative)
  • Dental (tongue on teeth): θ, ð (fricative)
  • Alveolar: t, d (plosive), n (nasal)
• Lexical development stages


  • Protowords
  • Holophrastic
  • Two-word
  • Telegraphic
  • Post-telegraphic
• Protowords


  Words the child cannot pronounce, so uses made-up words that only the caregiver can understand (e.g. "boo" for "balloon")