Learning to Communicate

The Theories How language is acquired. When language is acquired (stages of development). What children are doing with the language they acquire (functions of language).

Nature vs Nurture Is language acquisition a form of learned behaviour or imprinted into us genetically? As with most of these debates, the answer lies somewhere in the middle. The first real debate in this area was between Chomsky (nature) and Skinner (nurture).

Skinner (1959) Believed that language was just another form of learned behaviour. Suggested that children learn through positive and negative reinforcement, imitating the language structures they hear Called children’s brains a ‘blank slate’, ready for them to learn language through interaction.

How to apply it…what to look out for in the data… Adults explicitly modelling or teaching language, and children responding. Children imitating/repeating adults’ speech. Children learning or repairing mistakes after correction from adults.

Problems with Skinner There is a difference between the child’s language being true or grammatically correct. We are often more interested in them saying something that is true, than we are them saying it in a grammatically correct way. Children go through stages where they start to apply grammar and learn naturally – now discredited

Chomsky (1965) He asked how could children learn language by observation and reinforcement when they often say something that they have never heard before?. Chomsky argued that language is the product of an unlearned, biologically-based, internal mental structure. Because the rules which underlie a language are too complex to be acquired by children in a few short years, some aspects of language must be innately specified. Children are not exposed to correct grammar, however still grow up with language skills- i.e. if parent has stutter, child does not

Chomsky (1965) Proposed that children come equipped with an innate mental structure – a language acquisition device (LAD) that was hardwired for language (Nature) Input – native language around the child. Output – sentences in the same language Assumed universal rules to distinguish grammatical and ungrammatical sentences

Universal Grammar – rules that covered grammatical sentences (applicable to all languages) Surface structure rules – grammatical structure of spoken language Deep structure rules – enables the generation of grammatical sentences Claimed – people are genetically predisposed to learn this universal grammar, so children learn language naturally http://www.simplypsychology.org/language.html

Chomsky’s Linguistic Universals The baby already knows about linguistic universals. The baby hears examples of language in its native language. The linguistic universals help the baby to make hypotheses about the incoming language. From these hypotheses, the baby works out a grammar, a set of rules. As more and more language is heard, the grammar becomes more and more like that of adults.

Support for Chomsky All children around the world go through very similar stages. Medical research suggests there are specific areas in the brain to control language. Children do more than simply imitate adult speech. Things like over and under-extension suggest that children are actively constructing language according to an unconscious model of how language works. Children resist or simply don’t respond to correction from adults. These ideas do not suggest that language will be learned whatever happens, children still need some input and interaction.

Problems with Chomsky Chomsky paid little attention to the social environment in which the child was developing. This led other researchers to propose a substantial role for the social environment in language development in children. Chomsky did not really pay much attention to how children developed, he just focused on the fact that they were hard wired for language. So while he accepted that interaction had an important role to play, he didn’t say much about features of it. He never did any practical experiments, and mainly thought of his theory and hypothesised how it worked.

Cognitive and Interactive Theories Cognitive means the ‘process of thought’. Interactive means a two or more way communication.

Bruner (1983) Put forward the idea that the interactions between child and carer are crucial to language development, and help children develop important abilities, such as turn taking. Focus on the importance of conversations and routines of interaction Longitudinal study: 2 boys from 3 months of age until they were 24 months of age

Put language firmly into a social context by saying that ‘children learn to use a language initially, to get what they want, to play games, to stay connected with those on whom they are dependent’. Proposed the existence of the Language Acquisition Support System (LASS), which is the support for language learning provided by parents. Bruner argued they did more than provide models for imitation.

LAD and LASS require one another Language can only develop through the interactions with others. So there is a child component, containing the innate propensity to learn language, and there is an adult component providing the necessary social and instructional frameworks to encourage talk and to facilitate the learning of language. Lass take into consideration   Degree of interaction  Parenting style

The LASS is a collection of strategies that parents employ to facilitate their children’s acquisition of language. Scaffolding Reference Joint attention

Scaffolding. Suitable interactional frameworks provided by the LASS (often female parent)     The deliberate use of language at a level that is slightly beyond what children can comprehend. Leads to the child to acquire complex language more quickly then they might on their own.

Reference Gestures together with words. Develops out of non-linguistic methods -Pointing or turning head, eye contact Sound to replace gestures Attaching words to an object Eventually words replace gestures

Joint attention - First established through eye contact - primitive vocal turn talking occurs - Used to direct attention - Associate speech to objects

How to apply it…what to look out for in the data… Children clearly enjoying/benefitting from their interaction. Parents reinforcing their children’s attempts to speak by responding in an encouraging and positive way and give them opportunities to take part in the discourse Adult caregivers use simplification, intonation patterns, add extra information and question opportunities to engage children Conversation skills and pragmatic awareness being modelled/taught/learnt through interaction between child and adult.