Language Development & Communication Basic Components of Language: 1. Phonology – 2. Semantics – 3. Syntax – 4. Pragmatics –

Language Development & Communication Basic Components of Language:

Language Development & Communication Theories of Language Development 1. Learning Perspective Imitation and reinforcement Evaluation of perspective

Language Development & Communication Theories of Language Development 2. Nativist Perspective Noam Chomsky Language Acquisition Device (LAD) Language-Making Capacity (LMC)

Language Development & Communication Theories of Language Development Support for Nativist perspective a. Broca’s & Wernicke’s areas

Language Development & Communication Theories of Language Development Support for Nativist perspective a. Broca’s & Wernicke’s areas b. Infant phonetic discrimination c. Sensitive period d. Invention of language

Language Development & Communication Theories of Language Development Problems with Nativist perspective a. Plasticity retained b. Rhesus monkeys can discriminate sounds much like human infants c. Do invented languages occur without adult intervention? d. LAD not very helpful concept

Language Development & Communication Theories of Language Development 3. Interactionist Perspective Biology + Environment Environmental Support for Language Development a. Joint activities (zone of proximal development)

Language Development & Communication Theories of Language Development 3. Interactionist Perspective Biology + Environment Environmental Support for Language Development a. Joint activities (zone of proximal development) b. Motherese / Child Directed Speech c. Expansions/recasts d. Conversation is critical

Language Development & Communication SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Prelinguistic Period (until 10 to 13 mos) A. Making sounds 1. Cooing 2. Babbling 3. Vocables

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Prelinguistic Period (until 10 to 13 mos) A. Making sounds B. Learning the rules 1. Taking turns 2. Gestures & non-verbal communication 3. Receptive vs. productive language

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Holophrastic Period (from mos to mos) Holophrastic period – Holophrase – Naming explosion -

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Holophrastic Period (from mos to mos) Referential style – Expressive style – Cultural and birth order effects….

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Holophrastic Period (from mos to mos) Overextension – use relatively specific words to refer to a broader set of objects, actions, or events than adults do. Underextension – use general words to refer to a smaller set of objects, actions or events than adults do.

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Telegraphic Period (from mos to about 30 mos) Early sentences (two words or more) consist solely of content words and omit the less meaningful parts of speech. For example: More candy See kitty We go

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Universal Milestones in Language Devel. MilestoneApprox. Age Cooing 2-3 mos. Babbling 5 mos. First Words mos. Ten Words 12 mos. Two-word mos. sentence Two-hundred 24 mos. words

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Preschool Period (from 2 ½ to 5 years) Grammatical development Overregularization – overgeneralize grammatical rules to irregular cases (see cartoon). Semantics Pragmatics & Communication Skills

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Middle Childhood & Adolescent Period (6-14 years) Use larger words Produce longer & more complex sentences Think about language and manipulate it in new ways

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT The Importance of Reading to Children (Whitehurst et al. 1988) Toddlers Control group – Experimental group – After one month, the children in the experimental group had a larger gain in vocabulary Replicated in Mexico (Valdez- Menchaca & Whitehurst, 1992)

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT American Sign Language Sign constructed from a limited set of gestural components (same way that the spoken word is constructed from a finite number of distinctive sounds or phonemes).

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT American Sign Language Sign constructed from a limited set of gestural components (same way that the spoken word is constructed from a finite number of distinctive sounds or phonemes). Components of ASL: 1. Position of hands 2. Configuration of hands/fingers 3. Motions of hands/fingers

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT American Sign Language Deaf children acquire ASL much like hearing children acquire their oral language. 1.Babbling – 2.Holophrastic phrases (action words, naming objects, modifiers). 3.Telegraphic statements 4.Same stages

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT American Sign Language Deaf children acquire ASL much like hearing children acquire their oral language. When deaf children are raised with deaf parents: Babbling – 7-11 mos. Pointing – 8-9 mos. Word/Sign – 12 mos.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Bilingualism Two Critical Issues: 1.Expose to both? Best way to do this? 2.What is the best way to acquire a second language for school?

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Bilingualism Exposing child to two languages at the same time: Slower at first, catch up Don’t mix up

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Bilingualism Bilingual Education: What’s most effective when child does not speak language of school? Not Immersion Not ESL Programs Some basic instruction in native language in first year or two

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Bilingualism Advantages: Increased language proficiency Increased concept formation Increased nonverbal intelligence Increased metalinguistic awareness Note: These positive effects result from bilingual immersion and also foster an appreciation for diversity! Two-way bilingual education?

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Critical Period for Language Acquisition? Critical Period Hypothesis: Notion that human beings are most proficient at learning language before puberty. Prepubescent children Brain damage Summary

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Critical Period for Language Acquisition? Wild Children Number of cases recorded Number of cases that acquired language Number that did not learn any language (Reich, 1986) Most famous case