linguistics terms & definitions

language acquisition and development (quiz 1), use with review sheet

language faculty

the broad theoretical idea/ most common approach to language acquisition that innate biological mechanisms/ cognitive architecture allow humans to learn language

universal grammar (UG)

innate biological predisposition to learning the rules of grammar, using parameters

generative grammar

the mental grammar (set of rules) that allow speakers to produce language

i-language: internal knowledge/ competence

e-language: external production

forbidden experiments (ex. genie)

examines the results of limited or no input on language acquisition, shows that words & meaning seem to be separate from syntax

genie: didn’t learn language until after 13, showed that syntax is very difficult, if not impossible to learn, although it’s still possible to acquire new vocabulary

isabelle (1938): lived with a deaf/ nonverbal mother until age 6, but gained normal linguistic ability by age 8 because she was discovered within the critical period

critical period for language acquisition

the ideal window to acquire a first language (0-13?), after which it becomes a lot more difficult

primary linguistic data (PLD)

speech output of the speakers a child is exposed to, the dataset from which children must deduce grammar rules

qualities of the PLD include being messy and imperfect

poverty of the stimulus

linguistic input alone is insufficient to explain the grammar that children develop (on account of the imperfections in the PLD), evidence for innate UG mechanisms

prescriptive vs descriptive grammar

prescriptive: the “proper” way to use language

descriptive: the way language is really used by speakers * what linguistics focuses on

grammatical

it is acceptable to speakers of the language as an utterance

linguistic typology

study and classification of languages based on their structural and functional features

examples of UG principles & parameters

ewh-movement, word order, and headedness of the verb phrase

broca vs wernicke’s area

Broca’s Area: production only

Wernicke’s Area: comprehension, and sometimes production

lateralization

the left hemisphere of the brain being specialized for language processing

child-directed speech (CDS)

variable but typically higher pitch, slow speech rate, pauses, short sentences, repetition, diminutives, few grammatical errors

motherese hypothesis

the specific properties of CDS facilitate language acquisition

ex. child-directed speech likely allows infants to make the decisions about parameters, eases communication, and recognition of word boundaries/ new vocab

talking cure findings

higher SES families were more likley to engage in conversation with children, while lower SES used more imperatives

progam aimed to improve parent-to-child speech, and was overall effective

chunking

recognizing language/ phrases in chunks (ex. “I-don’t-know”), where each chunk has a meaning like a singular word

related to breaking the speech stream/ perception

perception of sounds

up to 8-10 months, infants are able to perceive differences between all sounds in human languages

experimental methods w/ ages

2-4 mo. high amplitude sucking procedure

6-10 mo. head-turn preference procedure (preferential listening)

10-14 mo. preferential looking technique

relevant experimentation terms:

1. natural & elicited production

2. grammaticality judgments

1. what children say naturally vs in response to a prompt

2. “is this a proper sentence of English?”

categorical perception

percieving stimuli categorically vs continuously (think: colors, facial expressions, etc.)

perceptual “magnet” effect

as infants’ experience with language grows, sounds in the language are like magnets, and those that are not found in the language are matched to sounds that are closest which are found in the language (allowing for categorization of imperfect sound when listening)

contrastive

the use of one sound over another creates a new word

(ex. [b] vs [p] → bear/ pear)

minimal pairs

word pairs that differ by only one sound

productive vs receptive vocabulary

the words a child regularly produces vs the words a child understands (RV is always larger than PV)