PS102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Language Acquisition Device, Metalinguistic Awareness, Observational Learning
Language Review
● What are 5 properties of language
○ Creative, structured, symbolic, meaningful, communicative
● Critical issues associated with each of these
○ Creative (effortless/restrictions), structured (regularities to follow, grammar),
symbolic (arbitrary), meaningful (word = idea, grammar = idea), communicative
(private/social, pragmatics)
● What's the smallest unit of sound
○ phoneme
● Smallest unit of meaning
○ morpheme
● What’s syntax
○ grammar/structure
● What’s basic physiology of speech production
○ Lungs, larynx/vocal cords, pharynx, tongue, oral/nasal cavity, lips
○ Vowels (shape, lips, oral cavity, tongue)
○ Consonants (tongue, teeth, lips) obstruct air flow
● Developmental progression - early to late
○ Pre Vocal - crying cooing babbling
○ Holophrastic - over and under extensions
○ Telegraphic
○ Preschool complex speech - over regularizations
○ Metalinguistic awareness
Theories of Language Acquisition
● Behaviourists
○ Learn through direct reinforcement/punishment
○ Imitation - observational learning
○ Shaping
○ Problems - doesn’t explain creativity in utterances or errors in speech
● Nativists
○ Biologically and physiologically equipped for speech and language
○ LAD (language acquisition device)
○ Critical period: most proficient at learning a language between 2 and puberty
Linguistic input → LAD linguistic processing skills → a theory of language → grammatical
competence
● Limitations to Nativists
○ Acquisition not completed as early at nativists thought (adults can learn, and do
so effectively)
○ Diversity of world languages and grammars hard to explain
○ Account of grammar and its development is limited
● Interactionist
○ Language is learned/used in a social context
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Critical issues associated with each of these. Creative (effortless/restrictions), structured (regularities to follow, grammar), symbolic (arbitrary), meaningful (word = idea, grammar = idea), communicative (private/social, pragmatics) Lungs, larynx/vocal cords, pharynx, tongue, oral/nasal cavity, lips. Consonants (tongue, teeth, lips) obstruct air flow. Problems - doesn"t explain creativity in utterances or errors in speech. Biologically and physiologically equipped for speech and language. Critical period: most proficient at learning a language between 2 and puberty. Linguistic input lad linguistic processing skills a theory of language grammatical. Acquisition not completed as early at nativists thought (adults can learn, and do competence so effectively) Diversity of world languages and grammars hard to explain. Account of grammar and its development is limited. Language is learned/used in a social context. International one - complex, at least 107 single letter sounds plus extensions. Gorilla, 40 years old, 1000 signs, internet chat, keeps pets. Vocabulary - yes can acquire a number of words.
