Today we will be:Reviewing language aquisition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQettw8c9BY&feature=fvwrel

What does „language aquisition“ mean?

= The way in which we learn languages.

the process of learning a native or a second language.

Language acquisitionLanguage acquisition We are not born speaking!We are not born speaking! Language must be acquired.Language must be acquired. If we think of all that is entailed in If we think of all that is entailed in

knowing a language, it seems quite knowing a language, it seems quite a challenge.a challenge.

What Does a Baby Hear?

Language instinct?Language instinct?

Language is innate – only surface details need be learned?

Human brain pre-programmed for language?

Language a result of general cognitive abilities of the brain?

Neither tells us what specific language to learn or particular structures to memorize.

Language UniversalsLanguage Universals What evidence is there for innate

knowledge of certain basic language features present in all human languages? LINGUISTIC UNIVERSALS > UNIVERSAL LINGUISTIC UNIVERSALS > UNIVERSAL

GRAMMARGRAMMAR All languages have:

A grammar Basic word order (in terms of SOV, etc.) Nouns and verbs Subjects and objects Consonants and vowels Absolute and implicational tendencies

E.g., If a language has VO order, then modifiers tend to follow the head)

““Universal GrammarUniversal Grammar””

Humans then learn to specialize this “universal grammar” (UG) for the particulars of their language.

Word order, syntactic rule preferencesWord order, syntactic rule preferences Phonetic and phonological constraintsPhonetic and phonological constraints LexiconLexicon Semantic interpretationsSemantic interpretations Pragmatic ways to conversePragmatic ways to converse

5. Follow milestonesFollow milestones

In spite of different backgrounds, different locations, and different upbringings, most children follow the very same milestones in acquiring language.

6. Observe a critical periodObserve a critical period

What is a critical period?What is a critical period? For first language acquisition, there

seems to be a critical period of the first five years, during which children must be exposed to rich input. There is also a period, from about 10-16 years, when acquisition is possible, but not native-like.

The Critical Period The Critical Period HypothesisHypothesis CPH: Proposed by LennebergCPH: Proposed by Lenneberg

This hypothesis states that there is only a small window of time for a first language to be natively acquired.

If a child is denied language input, she will not acquire language Genie: a girl discovered at age 13 who had

not acquired her L1 (-- Isabelle and Victor) Normal hearing child born to deaf parents,

heard language only on TV, did not acquire English L1

So how DO we So how DO we learn our first learn our first language?language?

L1 acquisitionL1 acquisition

Sound production/babblingSound production/babblingPhonological acquisitionPhonological acquisitionMorphological/Syntactical Morphological/Syntactical

acquisitionacquisitionSemantic developmentSemantic development

Caretaker SpeechCaretaker SpeechA register characterized by:

Simplified lexiconSimplified lexicon Phonological reductionPhonological reduction Higher pitchHigher pitch Stressed intonationStressed intonation Simple sentencesSimple sentences High number of interrogatives (Mom) & High number of interrogatives (Mom) &

imperatives (Dad)imperatives (Dad)Caretaker Speech

Acquisition of phoneticsAcquisition of phonetics Few weeks: cooing and gurgling,

playing with sounds. Their abilities are constrained by physiological limitations.

4 months: distinguish between [a] and [i], so their perception skills are good.

4-6 months: children babble, putting together vowels and consonants. This is not a conscious process! Experiment with articulation

7-10 months: starts repeated babbling. 10-12 months, children produce a

variety of speech sounds. (even ‘foreign’ sounds)

Acquisition of phonologyAcquisition of phonology

Early stage: Unanalyzed syllables 15-21 months: words as a sequence of

phonemes. Mastery of sounds differing in

distinctive features (e.g., voicing) Duplicated syllables: mama, dadamama, dada - CV

is main syllable structure. They reduce = bananabanana [na.nana.na] 2 syllable words

Early mastery of intonation contours (even in non-tone languages)

Perception comes before production (‘fisfis’ or ‘fishfish’?)

Phonological Processes

LexiconLexiconBegin with simple lexical items for

people/food/toys/animals/body functions

Lexical Achievement:Lexical Achievement: 1-2 years old 200-300 words (avg) 3 years old 900 words 4 years old 1500 words 5 years old 2100 words 6-7 years old 2500 words High school grad 40,000 – 60,000 words!

“5,000 per year, 13 words a day” -- Miller & Gildea

But DonBut Don’’t Animals Know Words, t Animals Know Words, Too?Too?

Yes, but…what about…? Just (very) Just (very) brilliant vs. just (only)just (only) a little

dirty vs. a just (right)just (right) person Blunt (dull)Blunt (dull) instrument vs. blunt (sharp)blunt (sharp)

comment I was literally (meaning figuratively)literally (meaning figuratively)

climbing the walls. Clip (on)Clip (on) a pin vs clip (off)clip (off) hair Cleave (together)Cleave (together) vs cleave (apart)cleave (apart) Dust (remove)Dust (remove) or dust (sprinkle)dust (sprinkle) And what does inflammableinflammable mean?

The acquisition ofThe acquisition of morphosyntaxmorphosyntax

At about 12 months, children begin producing words consistently.

One-word stageOne-word stage (holophrastic stage): Name people, objects, etc. An entire sentence is one word

Two-word stage:Two-word stage: Approximately 18-24 months Use consistent set of word orders: N-

V, A-N, V-N… With structure determined by

semantic relationships agent+action (baby sleep) possessor+possession (Mommy book)

Telegraphic stageTelegraphic stage (only content words)

Negative FormationsNegative Formations Negatives 1st stage - attach no/notno/not to beginning

of sentence (sometimes at end) 2nd stage – negatives appear

between subject and verb (dondon’’tt stayed at beginning in imperatives, but not cancan’’tt)

3rd stage – appearance of nobody/nothingnobody/nothing & anybody/anythinganybody/anything & inconsistent use of “to be” verb isis and auxiliary “dummy” dodo verb.

Question FormationsQuestion Formations 1st stage – wh- word placed in front of

rest of sentence: WhereWhere daddy go? daddy go? 2nd stage – addition of an auxiliary verb:

Where you Where you willwill go? go? 3rd stage – subject noun changes places

with the auxiliary: Where Where will will you go?you go?

Acquisition of SemanticsAcquisition of Semantics

Concrete before abstract:Concrete before abstract: ‘‘in/onin/on’’ before before ‘‘behind/in frontbehind/in front’’

Overextensions:Overextensions: Using Using ‘‘moonmoon’’ for anything for anything

roundround Using Using ‘‘dogdog’’ for any four-legged for any four-legged

animalsanimals Underextensions:Underextensions:

The word The word ‘‘birdbird’’ may not may not include include ‘‘pigeonpigeon’’, etc, etc

Reviewing Linguistic StagesReviewing Linguistic Stages 6-12 weeks:6-12 weeks: Cooing (googoo, gurgling,

coocoo) 6 months:6 months: Babbling (baba, mama, dada) 8-9 months:8-9 months: Intonation patterns 1-1.5 years:1-1.5 years: Holphrastic stage (one word) 2 years:2 years: Two-word stage 2.5 years:2.5 years: Telegraphic stage 3,4 – 11 years:3,4 – 11 years: Fluent speech w/errors 12 years+:12 years+: Fluent speech