Language Learning: Language Socialization …the baby uses a word long before he asks for the object; when he wants his horsey he is likely to cry and fret, because he is reacting to an actual environment, not forming ideas (Goshgarian, 2004: 31).

In what ways are the relationship between language and gender cross-culturally similar or different to the relationship between language and race?

Previously: Social roles and language use: --class, caste, gender, race, etc. Language and social meanings: --reflects social and cultural norms Linguistic markers: --sounds, grammar, morphology

Communicative Competence Knowledge of rules of language and language use. Communicative competence entails ability to speak a particular language and knowledge of cultural and social norms of appropriate language use in given interactional contexts.

Today’s Basic Questions 1. How is this communicative competence acquired? 2. How are children socialised into appropriate linguistic behaviour? 3. How linguistic practices are made to seem natural?

Linguistic Ability Symbolic representation Awareness of symbolism of sounds Relational situations: people, objects, and/or activities Discovery and creativity Universality of process (acquisition of language)

Acquisition of language: Steps 1. Learning to differentiate and produce sounds 2. The beginning of grammatical construction 3. Morphological development: 4. Growth in vocabulary 5. Syntactic development

Syntactic development Expansion of grammar: new propositions Example: negation Simple:N + Sentence or Sent + N = No sit there. More sophisticated: He not little, he big. Complex incorporation: I didn’t did it

Child-Rearing Practices and Language Instruction: Three Cases Ochs (1988) and Schieffelin (1990) White-middle- class (USA): infants encouraged to speak Samoa (A group of six Polynesian islands in the South Pacific): opposite Kaluli (New Guinea):opposite Different practices and values = diff linguistic socialization

White-Middle-Class (USA): Language Instruction Infants treated as persons Potential and actual conversational partners Interpretation of infant’s vocalization and gestures as meaningful Establishes communicative structures Simplification of language(caregiver) baby talk

Samoan: Language Instruction Infant’s mobility (Crawling) determines hiss/her status as a conversational partner Infant’s vocalization and gestures not “speech act” Stratification by age and title Lower-rank status: infant

Turn taking sequencing in the USA (ABBA) Samoa Child appeals to high-ranking caregiver (A  B) High-ranking caregiver directs lower-ranking caregiver (B  C) Lower-ranking caregiver responds to child (C  A) Turn taking sequencing in the USA (ABBA)

Samoan Communicative Interaction: Multiparty sequencing: along hierarchical lines Social hierarchy and meaning: clarification of meaning (lower rank) Cultural priorities through language instruction (paying attention to social hierarchy)

Kaluli: Language Instruction Egalitarian Emphasis on network of obligation and reciprocity Language means to ge rights and desires Infants: helpless, lacking understanding Not considered conversational partners

Socialization and language Acquisition Teaching how to become assertive Teaching by example Social rules transmitted through language instruction

Summary Discovery and creativity universal: steps Cultural practices to make a child language competent differ cross culturally Ochs (1988) and Schieffelin (1990) Different cultural practices reflects on linguistic socialization

Discussion Question How do child rearing linguistic practices play a central role in making the child into a competent member of a culture? Provide examples from your own culture.