LINA02H3 Lecture Notes - Post-Creole Continuum, Cultural Artifact, Language Acquisition
Document Summary
People believe that society is degrading language and grammar is going the same way. Biologically, is an unprecedented event that separates humans from other animals. Language pervades thoughts, makes speakers of different languages view reality in different ways. Children learn to talk to from role models. It is an example of our ability to use symbols. Capacity for language is distinct from other cognitive abilities relating to intelligence. Language is instinct to humans (like flying is for birds) Language is spoken by speakers, it is not a collection of symbols. Literacy is not an indication of linguistic competence. No language is better than the other in any way. In the 1950s, behaviourists like skinner and watson believed that language was learned through a process called stimulus-response learning (this grouped together all types of behaviour) This meant that children learnt through copying whatever is said to them. Children could not learn independently or create new sentences.
