306A: Special edition

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306A Special edition

• First-language acquisition
• Guest lecturer

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1st language acquisition
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Do we need to know this?
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Yes
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What I mean is, ah, will it be on the exam?
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Yes
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Stages

• Pre-natal
• 0 - 2 mo
• reflexive, vegetative
• 2 - 5 mo
• responsive cooing, laughing
• 4 - 7 mo
• babbling
• 6 - 12 mo
• reduplicative babbling
• 9 - 18 mo
• non-reduplicative babbling
• 18 - 72 mo
• all hell breaks loose

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Pre-natal to 7 mo (roughly)

• Pre-natal
• native language discrimination
• 0 - 5 mo
• migration from expressive (indexical) noises to
  communicative noises to vocal play
• 4 - 7 mo
• a wide range of noises narrows down toward
  community speech sounds (phones).

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6 to 12 mo (roughly) Reduplicative babbling

• mama, gaga, baba
• phonological practice, rather than communication
• increased control over articulators

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9 to 18 mo (roughly) Non-reduplicative babbling

• expressive jargon
• intonation and stress patterns of language
• sounds like Language X (X Swedish, Hindi,
  Basque, ), but just more sophisticated
  practicing
• overlaps with word development and the beginnings
  of clear communicative intent

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bij hQpij hQpij hQpij hQpij...
gvkij gvkij gvkij gvkij gvkij ...
Ajno Ajno Ajno Ajno Ajno...
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Phoneme acquisition

• Babbling
• The cardinal stops p b m t d n k g
• The cardinal vowels i v u
• Other sounds s z h w j
• Rare and/or late f v T D S Z tS dZ l r N

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Consonant progression

• stops lt fricatives lt glides lt liquids lt affricates

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Consonant cluster aversion

• Dropping
• fricatives
• liquids
• nasals
• when they cluster with stops

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Consonant cluster aversion

• Dropping
• fricatives stAp ? tAp
• liquids trAjt ? tAj
• nasals kAjt ? tAjt
• when they cluster with stops

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Substitutions

• stopx ? stopy kAjt ? tAjt
• fricativex ? fricativey fIS ? fIs
• sonorants ? vowels wejl ? wejv
• fricatives ? stops sij ? tij
• liquids ? glides lAjt ? wAjt
• nasals ? stops tvN ? tvg

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14mo

• Proto-words and words commingle
• Noun-heavy
• The dedication and joy of acquisition

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Proto-words (Galen, 15 mo)
meaning sound usage
blow fff Said when food needed cooling
whoosh wus Said of toilets and sneezes
oh? ?o Parent-humouring noise
tasty! nvmnvm Said in appreciation of food
yay! doi?j Said in joyous appreciation of favoured objects and totems
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Proto-words (Oriana, 16 mo)
meaning sound usage
negatives nej now nowej Said when declining
affirmative mmm Said when accepting
Getyourassingear ?v?v?v Said to urge on parents
smack nnntjv air kiss
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vwu vm wApv wApv
Is that right?
mm hmm
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dudawa dej vtv dudijdij
Pardon me?
dudawa dej vtv dudijdij
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Words (Galen, 15 mo)
word sound accompany/sub
cat tQt mrAuw
cow kAw mu?w
lamb lQm bA?A?A?
monkey mvntij E?E?E?
duck dQt A trilled, lateral-tongue-against-cheek flapping noise that actually sounded a bit like a duck
whale wejv Non-totemic
lion lAjn Non-totemic
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Words (Galen, 15-17 mo)

• chair, man, truck, hat, horn, vegetables,
  night-time, baby, medicine,shampoo, belt, watch,
  mail, sleep, button, train, pizza, fan, light,
  bath, diaper, hospital, paper, submarine,
• Mostly nouns, some verbs, two prepositions,
  a few adjectives, some greetings.

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Words (Oriana, 16 mo)
ward sound contexts
ow Aw when hurt, tickled, inconvenienced in any way
more mowv said mostly of food and drink, but also of activities (being carried), sometimes before she has had any
hiya hAjv said in greeting
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Conversing with Oriana (14 mo)
Oriana bApA! bApA! IR Yes, Oriana?
Oriana wu baktijn matsa mowv IR Juice?
Oriana gij (affirmative intonation, nod)
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Conversing with Oriana (16 mo)
Oriana bApA! bApA! IR Yes, Oriana?
Oriana hQmij wu tA wu IR Juice? Oriana wu
(affirmative intonation, nod)
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PAPAPAPAPAPA! WHAT did you BRING!? You brought
GROCERIES! You brought CANS OF SOUP! (picking
them out of the bag and running off with them he
has no particular fondness for soup it was just
something to shout about). (Returning) And you
brought GARBAGE BAGS! GREEN ONES! These are BIG
GREEN GARBAGE BAGS! And LIGHTBULBS!
(27 mo)
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Suprasegmental phonology (Galen)

• Hes b-a-a-A-A-A-a-a-d, papa. That beetles
  b-a-a-A-A-A-a-a-a-d! (23 mo)
• I want to go outs-i-i-i-i-I-I-I-I-i-i-i-i-de! (22
  - 25 mo)
• I want Strawbe-e-e-e-E-E-E-E-e-e-e-e-ries! (24
  mo)
• No-o-o-O-O-O-o-o-o! (a lot, c20 - 26 mo)
• DeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeetABLE! (22 mo)
• L-l-l-l-ets go outside! (24 mo)

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General vocal behaviours (Galen)

• noises, hoots, and squeals
• wide range of voices (slow, fast, creaky, redrum,
  Louis-Armstrongish plaint)
• demented chanting (deedeedeedee deedeedeetABLE)
• special pronuciations (Bhhhr-e-e-a-a-duh,
  t.a.b.le.s.a.n.d.ch.ai.r.s)
• (walks groucho, flying nun, stiff-legged
  side-step, and wiggle-butt)

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Re-babbling (Galen, 19 - 21 mo)

• baby-bAby, baby-bAby, baby-bAby, baby-bAby ...
  (coming from the chorus of a song his mother
  also reduplicated endlessly)
• woodsy, woodsy, woodsy, woodsy, ... (repeating
  the name of a toy squirrel)
• dzuaaha, dzuaaha, dzuaaha, dzuaaha, ... budgia,
  budgia, budgia, budgia (I think they just
  sounded good)
• dibbadibbadibba Whats Galen saying? (19 mo)

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Syntax (Galen)

• Hellooo Papa! Hellooo cat! Hellooo pitzy truck!
  (c17 mo said to everybody and everything, with
  devout conviction that an answer would come back)
  
• More X! (More books! More banana! More sticks!
  ... c17 mo)
• Want some juice now, for Galen. (19 mo)
• Go! Go! Go! (c18 mo said while running full
  tilt in no specific direction)
• Lets go! (c18 mo said just before running full
  titlt in no specific direction)
• Run! Run! Run! (c18 mo see Go! Go! Go!)
• Ill take it! (c19 mo, of anything which took his
  fancy)
• Must take it! (c20 mo this one often had a noun
  in place of the pronoun, as in Must take
  tractor!)
• Go this way! (Lets go this way!18 - 22 mo
  said, usually in the car but sometimes when being
  carried, while pointing in any direction youre
  not going)
• Maybe X! (Maybe sit down! Maybe read a book!
  Maybe sit down right here! 19 mo)

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Galens First passive constituent-question

• G What are they doing there? (He had seen some
  potato chips in a store)
• IR Waiting to be bought and eaten, I guess.
• G What are they going to be eaten for ... with
  ... what are they going to be eaten for ... by
  ... Who are they going to be eaten by? (27 mo)

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Im a bit sore today.
I dont want you to be sore. I want you to be
clean. I want you to be clean in your diaphragm.
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Youve got a freckle.
Whats a freckle called?
Its called a freckle.
No. What are freckles called?
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Maybe means no! I know it means yes or no but
it really means no. I know what it really
means, but Just forget about it! It means no!
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To a stuffed pig You miss your parents? Thats
OK. I have a memory of them. They were pink. Just
a minute, I have a memory of them. Goes off and
returns with a long pink snake. Here it is. Its
a memory of your mom and dad.
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This is an other-nose, and this is an other-nose.
(pointing, 28 mo)
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Peat
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Peats s
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Wug
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Wugs z
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Bleege
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Bleeges z
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Morphology (Galen)

• Those are ambulances , Papa ambulancES! (21 mo)
• Im digestING my penne, mommy. DigestING. (28
  mo)
• WolFS, papa, wolFS. Not wolVES, wolFS (28 mo)
• Im up-pleased (c 27-29 mo)
• I need a ball to tennis (26 mo upon picking up a
  tennis racket)
• Whats it for tanking? (27 mo of a tanker truck)
• I get it! One octopi is an octopus, but two
  octopusses is an octopi!

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Morphology (Oriana)

• need to keep our hands undry. (38 mo)
• It was still unwet (38 mo)
• on finding a newspaper in our drivewaySomebody
  slobbed us!
• Galens the most unlistener!
• Well, Linda and Auntie Dolly are bestest mommies
  in the world. But youre the most bester mommy in
  the world, mommy!

Sameday
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Lexical innovation (Oriana)

• That will feel me better! (also, That will feel
  me up)
• Fish! Dragon! Ill call it a funny-fish dragon.
  Is that a good deal?
• Oriana Na means Im going to be your sister
  again. Okay? Okay, Galen?
• Galen Whatever.
• Oriana .. Na! . Na! . Na! Na, Galen!

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Well, papa. I dont want you to do no more
jokeness. You did jokeness. Why did you do that?
That jokeness.
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Lookit!Thats a school, a school of fish.
Mmm-hmm
Which ones the teacher?
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Her warmth revived the swallow.
Thumbelinas warmness saved the swallow.
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Philosophy of language

• Hello cat. Im fine. Im fine. Youre fine.
  (Oriana, 19 mo)
• Dont be noisy, wind! Im talking, wind! Dont
  be noisy! Thats rude! Dont be rude, wind!
  (Galen, 27 mo)
• Dont blow! Wind! Dont blow! (Oriana, 32 mo)
• No! Dont say that! Dont say it, Papa! (Oriana,
  26 mo)
• Im pretending you didnt tell me that. You
  pretend too, Papa! (Galen, 28 mo)
• G I want some salt, please, Mommie.M Just a
  minute, Darlo.G Some salt please, Mommie.M
  no response ...
• G Some of that white stuff there. (Galen, 27
  mo)

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Stages

• Pre-natal
• 0 - 2 mo
• reflexive, vegetative
• 2 - 5 mo
• responsive cooing, laughing
• 4 - 7 mo
• babbling
• 6 - 12 mo
• reduplicative babbling
• 9 - 18 mo
• non-reduplicative babbling
• 18 - 72 mo
• all hell breaks loose

Phoneme acquisition
Lexical acquisitionMorphological acquisition
Syntactic acquisition
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L1 Acquisition

• Stages
• Prenatal learning - syntactic acquisition
• Phonology
• Cardinal consonants vowels
• Consonant progression
• Substitutions
• Lexical acquisition
• Responsive cooing - noun gathering
• Kids philosophy of language
• Power and omnipresence of language