III. Telegraphic Speech: Simple Word Combinations (Begins at 18 to 24 months)

Syntax of first word combinations

Use standard S-V-O order
 

Can express many kinds of relationships

Syntactic understanding still limited

 comprehension studies:

 

A. Semantic Development

Large increase in vocabulary

How do children acquire new words so rapidly -- fast mapping?

Rules for learning new words

• assume that words refer to wholes not parts

• contrast principle

• principle of mutual exclusivity

• Pragmatic cues

Where do these rules come from?

Core domain knowledge
 

Learned from pragmatic experience
 

Able to produce grammatically more complex constructions
 

Acquisition of morphemes
 

Two important characteristics of syntactic development

1. Regular ordering of acquisition
 
 

2. Children are using rules, not just repeating what they have heard
 

• wug test

• overregularization

Able to carry on conversations with adults and peers

Adjust speech style to different listeners

Difficulty in assessing listener’s background knowledge
 
 

Develop narrative skills
 

• scaffolding

How Does Language Develop?

I. History of the Controversy:

Learning theory -- dominated the field until 1970

Study by Brown and Hanlon: Parents do not correct children’s grammatical errors
 

•  So how can children learn grammar without negative feedback?


Chomsky: Nativist approach
 

•  innate language acquisition device (LAD)

1. Biological features
 
 
 
 

2. Critical period for language acquisition
 
 
 
 

3.  Universal stages of language development
 
 
 
 

4. Language is a uniquely human ability
 
 
 
 

5. The environment does not provide enough information for learning

• lack of negative feedback for errors

 

• fast mapping of new words

Social environment provides a support system for language learning

Bruner: language acquisition support system (LASS)

2. Infant directed speech (IDS, motherese, baby talk) helps children learn language

Characteristics of IDS:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

4.  Parents provide indirect feedback to children about grammatical errors

• recasts and expansions

IV. Connectionist Approaches

Language develops from strengthening neural connections

Evidence:
 
 

Problems:
 
 

I. Dual Representation
 

Understanding that a symbol is a thing in itself and a symbol for something else
 

Object retrieval task
 

Achieved around 2.5 years

II. Pretend Play
 

Piaget-- Evidence of symbol use
 

Emerges at about 18 months.
 

Become highly complex and sophisticated

Note: Due to time constraints, lecture may not cover all this material