Chapter 10 - Language 4 Components of Language 1.Phonology Understanding & producing speech sounds Phoneme - smallest sound unit Number of phonemes varies by language Morphology = rules for combining Rules for combining phonemes vary by language

2. Semantics = Meaning of words & sentences Morpheme - smallest meaningful unit Differ by language Arbitrary Lexical development = learning meaning of new words

3. Syntax Form/structure of language Rules for how words are combined Meaning = words + sentence structure semantics + syntax Rules vary by language

4. Pragmatics Principles for language use in different contexts & situations Principles vary by language/culture

Prelinguistic Period Birth to 1 year (10-13 months) Nonmeaningful utterance

Responsive to language from birth Attend to speech Recognize & prefer mom’s voice Lateralization - speech produces more left hemisphere activity Fine discriminations among phonemes Receptive language by 1 Before productive

Sound production 1.Crying Distress Fake crying by 3 weeks 2.Cooing Repeated vowel sounds 3 months

3. Babbling Vowel/consonant combinations Vocable = consistent use of same babble for an object

Deaf vs. Hearing babies Up to 6 months - development is the same ~ 8 months - hearing babies match intonation of their mother language Deaf infants fall behind Advanced babbling is delayed But, deaf infants babble in sign & they are left-brain lateralized

Holophrastic Period (age 1-2) One word utterances One word represents an entire phrase Same word can represent different phrases

Lexical growth 10 words in 3-4 months 50 words by 20 months

Word types 1. Nominals (names of things) 66% Classes of objects & unique objects 2. Action words = 13% Describe action or demand attention

3. Modifiers = 9% Properties/quantities of things 4.Personal/social words = 8% Express feelings/social comments 5.Function words = 4% Grammatical functions

Common errors Overextension - use of a specific word to refer to larger class than adults do - BUT might overextend because lack better words

Underextension - use of a general term to refer only to a specific example

3 Rules for learning words 1.Fast mapping Linking word with concept after hearing the word a few times 2.Form class hypothesis Use context to determine type of word (noun, verb, etc.)

3. Lexical contrast theory (mutual exclusion) New word cannot mean the same as an old word Contrast new word with ones already known

Telegraphic Period (~2+) Two-word utterances Essential content words Production capabilities limit utterances Reception > production Similar across languages Universal child speech

Grammatical morphemes Refinements that make language grammatically correct & give meaning Mastery occurs at different ages, but in same order Error = overregularization Common morpheme for irregular cases

Developmental stages: Correct first, then incorrect, then correct Imitate, learn rule, learn exceptions

Transformational grammar Use syntax to change meaning 1. Transform declarative sentence to question Invert subject/verb (& add wh-)

2. Negative clauses Add a negative in appropriate place 3.Imperatives/giving a command Omit the subject & put the verb first

Language Acquisition B. F. Skinner - learning theorist -> Nurture Children imitate adult speech & are reinforced Children’s speech improves Reinforced for improvements = shaping

Evidence Components differ by language Babbling in own language’s intonation Children imitate adults Adults reinforce/give feedback Speech improves with feedback Motherese

Noam Chomsky – linguist -- Nature Innate mechanisms -> language development Lenneberg: Language Acquisition Device = an inborn model of language structure

Evidence Children construct novel utterances Do not imitate adult grammar Universal telegraphic speech Adults praise poor grammar Brain lateralized for language processing Only humans acquire syntax/grammar Critical period

Current: May well be an inborn structure of language + sensitive period shows effects of maturation BUT- sensitive period also shows need for experience/learning by puberty An interaction of nature & nurture