Language Acquisition

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Language Acquisition

• By Alan D. DeSantis

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Biology vs. Culture

• Each culture supplies its inhabitants with their
  own language
• But how and when we acquire language is universal
• All human brains are hardwired to learn language
  in the exact same way

3
The Open Language Window

• Think of a window opening in a childs mind from
  6 months to 8 years
• As language comes through the open window, there
  is a program that arranges and organizes all
  incoming data (talk) in the exact same way

4
Childrens Mistakes Not Just Mimicry

• We use to think children learn language solely
  through mimicking adults
• But their mistakes become very predictable

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Three Case StudiesWhen Our Language Window is
Opened
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Case Study Of The Wild Boy

• Victor is the name given to a boy found roaming
  the woods of Averyon in southern France toward
  the end of September 1799.
• He behaved like a wild animal and gave all
  indications that he had been raised by wild
  animals, eating off the floor, making canine
  noises, disliking baths and clothes.
• He also could not speak.
• He was taken in by a Doctor (Jean Marc Itard) who
  had developed a reputation for teaching the deaf
  to speak.
• After years of work, Itard failed to teach Victor
  more than a few words.
• Victor was eventually forgotten. A state pension
  kept him alive, like an animal in a zoo.
• When he died no one noticed.

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Case Study of Genie

• A similar event unfolded in Los Angeles in 1970
  when a 13-year-old girl was discovered who had
  been isolated in a baby crib
• Her father had decided that she was retarded at
  birth, and because of this subjected her to
  severe isolation as well as ritual ill-treatment.
  
• There was no radio or TV in the house due to the
  father's intolerance of noise
• She was physically immature, had difficulty
  walking and could only babble like an infant
• Psychologists at UCLA spent years trying to teach
  Genie to speak.
• While Genie did get to the point where she could
  communicate, her speech never advanced beyond a
  3-year old level
• In other words, she could use words to the same
  extent as chimpanzees but could not manipulate
  grammar
• At middle age she stopped talking altogether and
  was soon committed to a mental institution.

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Case Study of Vincent

• Hearing speech is not enoughchildren need real
  life people talking to them.
• Vincent was born to deaf parents who communicated
  with him by signing
• He became fully competent from infancy
• His parents also encouraged him to watch a lot of
  TV thinking that he would be able to learn the
  spoken word
• By 3, however, he was still speechless
• Researchers began working with him at 3
• He was seriously behindand still feels some of
  the effects
• In short, TV is no substitute to real live people

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What American Parents Do

• Characteristics of responsible parent talk
• But this is not necessary
• Children dont need it. They pick up language
  simple by being in an environment where language
  is used.
• The responsible model only functions to
• 1)
• 2)

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Stages of Language Acquisition
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Stages of Language Acquisition

• 1) Babbling
• Starts at 6 months
• A. Utters various identical syllables
• B. These sounds happen across all cultures
• C. Children learn to make these protowords into
  meaningful utterances

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Stages of Language Acquisition

• 2) One-Word Stage
• One year (Same time they learn to walk)
• A. They utter their first right word
• B. Words are overgeneralized
• C. Single words are used to convey whole
  propositions

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Stages of Language Acquisition

• 3) Two-Word Stage
• 20 Months
• A. Develop idea of Subject and Predicate
• B. Vocabulary is at 50 words

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Stages of Language Acquisition

• 4) Beyond Two Words (big category)
• 2.0-2.6 Years of Age
• A. Statements show increasing knowledge of
  syntax, grammar, word order, etc.
• B. No more overgeneralizations

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Stages of Language Acquisition

• 5) Morpholigical (word parts) and Grammatical
  Acquisition

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Stages of Language Acquisition

• Some of Browns Stages
• 1) is and was verbs
• 2) in prepositions
• 3) on prepositions
• 4) plural nouns--toys, cats, dogs
• 5) irregular past tense verbs--came, fell, saw,
  hurt
• 6) possessive nouns--daddys drums
• 7) articles--a and the
• 8) past tense verbs--played, washed, wanted
• Parents usage of these 14 has little impact
• Parents use articles (a the) the most, but it
  is 7th
• Parents use prepositions rarely, but it is 2nd
• This point to hardwiring

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Acquisition of Vocabulary
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Acquisition of Vocabulary

• At 1.8
• By 5
• By 6
• By 8
• After 8,

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Acquisition of Vocabulary

• Some Additional Information on Vocabulary
• An educated adult knows
• Shakespeare used
• King James Bible uses
• 1999 American Heritage Dictionary
• Oxford English Dictionary (mac daddy)

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Phonological Acquisitionor making the right
sounds
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Phonological Acquisition(Among Americans)

• A. At 2 months, babies react to sounds
• B. By 9 months, a child mimics adult intonation

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Phonological Acquisition(Among Americans)

• C. Sounds learned by Age
• 1.0
• By 2.0
• By 3.0
• By 4.0

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Phonological Acquisition(Among Americans)

• D. Why This Acquisition Order?
• Not only parents usage
• More important is Functional Load
• E. Children know more than they can say!
• Understanding precedes usage
• 1.6 child recognizes 200 words, but can only say
  50