Introduction to Language Development and Phonetics

Flashcards covering key terms, theories, studies, and developmental milestones in linguistics and child language acquisition based on the provided lecture transcript.

What is the definition of Phonetics?

The study of the physical sounds of human speech.

How is Prosody defined in speech?

The melody, pitch, and intonation of speech.

What is the focus of Morphology?

The study of word structure and meaningful units called morphemes.

What is Semantics?

The study of meaning in words and sentences.

Define Syntax.

The rules for combining words into grammatical phrases and sentences.

What system encompasses both syntax and morphology?

Grammar.

What is the Nativism theory proposed by Chomsky?

The theory that language is innate and powered by a Language Acquisition Device (LAD).

How does Behaviorism (Skinner) describe language learning?

Theory that language is a habit learned through reinforcement and imitation.

What is Connectionism?

A domain-general theory that language is learned through neural network patterns.

What is Interactionism?

Theory that social desire to communicate interacts with biology to drive language.

What is the concept of Double Dissociation in linguistics?

The finding that two functions (like grammar and meaning) can be damaged independently.

Describe Broca’s Aphasia.

A condition where meaning is intact but grammatical production is severely damaged.

Describe Wernicke’s Aphasia.

A condition where grammar is intact but speech lacks meaning, often referred to as "word salad."

Equipotentiality Hypothesis

suggests both hemispheres start with equal potential

When is Neuroplasticity at its highest?

In early childhood.

What is Synaptogenesis and when does it peak?

The rapid explosion of neural connections, peaking at age 2.

What is Synaptic Pruning?

The "use it or lose it" process of trimming unused brain connections.

What is the Critical Period for language acquisition?

The window from birth to puberty where language is acquired most easily.

Compare fMRI and ERP in terms of resolution.

fMRI has high spatial resolution (where) but low temporal resolution (when); ERP has high temporal resolution (when) but not so much spatial resolution (where) and is best for testing infants.

What is Statistical Learning in infants?

Tracking sound probabilities to find patterns like word boundaries.

What did the Saffran Study (1996) prove?

That infants find word boundaries in continuous nonsense speech.

What did the Marcus Study (1999) prove regarding 7-month-olds?

That they can learn abstract grammar patterns (like ABA).

What is CHILDES?

A massive public database of transcribed child language samples.

Define the Head-Turn Paradigm.

A lab method where infants turn toward sounds to show preferences.

Compare Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Studies.

Longitudinal studies follow the same children over a long period; Cross-Sectional studies compare different age groups at one single point in time.

What is the difference between a Pidgin and a Creole?

A Pidgin is a simplified contact language created by adults with no native speakers; a Creole is a complex language created by children who add grammar to a Pidgin.

What did the String in the Cup Experiment prove?

Infants imitate what an adult meant to do, not their mistakes.

What are Universal Listeners?

Infants who have the ability to hear every sound contrast in every human language.

What is Canonical Babbling and when does it occur?

Producing true syllables like "ba-ba-ba," occurring between 6-9 months.

What is Babbling Drift?

When babbling begins to sound like the infant's native language.

What is the best predictor of reading success?

Phonological Awareness.

Contrast Overextension and Underextension.

Overextension is using a word too broadly (e.g., calling a cat a "dog"); underextension is using a word too narrowly (e.g., only the family pet is a "dog").

What is the Word Spurt?

A rapid increase in word learning after reaching about 50 words.

What is MLU and how is it calculated?

Mean Length of Utterance; it measures grammar by counting morphemes.

How many morphemes and words are in the phrase "Daddy's shoes"?

$4$ morphemes (Daddy + 's + shoe + s) and $2$ words.

What is Telegraphic Speech?

Early sentences that skip function words (e.g., "Mommy go").

What is the Whorfian Hypothesis?

The idea that your language dictates how you think about the world.

Define Fast Mapping.

The ability of children to form a "first guess" about a word's meaning after only one or two exposures.

What is the Whole-Object Constraint?

The assumption that a new word refers to the entire object, not just a part, color, or texture.

What is Syntactic Bootstrapping?

Using the grammatical structure of a sentence to figure out a verb's meaning.

Compare the Generativist View

The Generativist View posits children start with abstract categories (Nouns/Verbs)

What is Tomasello's Verb Island Theory?

The idea that children learn how each verb works individually as "islands" rather than applying general rules.

How does Negation Development progress?

It moves from putting "No" outside the sentence, to inside, to using auxiliary verbs (e.g., "I don't want to go").

What is the Matthew Effect in reading?

The phenomenon where good readers get better over time while poor readers fall further behind.

What did the Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff (1991) study demonstrate?

That 16-19 month olds understand that English word order (Subject-Verb-Object) dictates "who did what to whom."

Distinguish between Repetitions and Expansions.

Repetitions involve repeating the child's utterance exactly; Expansions involve taking the child's simple utterance and filling in the missing grammar.

What is Prosodic Bootstrapping?

Using the melody, pauses, and stress of speech to identify phrases and grammatical boundaries.

Constructivist view

the Constructivist View posits children learn specific word patterns first and build abstract categories later.

What does Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL) tell us about language acquisition?

It provides evidence for Nativism. Deaf children who were only given a simple gesture system created a complex, rule-governed sign language on their own, suggesting the human brain is "pre-wired" to create grammar.

What is the Domain-Specific view of language?

The belief that the brain has a "dedicated module" or special "room" specifically for language. It argues that the mental processes used for language are unique and not used for other tasks like math or music.

(Associated with: Nativism, Chomsky, Modularism)

What is the Domain-General view of language?

The belief that language is learned using the same "all-purpose" mental tools we use for everything else—such as memory, perception, and pattern-tracking. Language is just one of many things the brain handles using its general cognitive power.

(Associated with: Connectionism, Statistical Learning, Interactionism)

What is a piece of evidence used to support Domain-Specific (Modular) views?

Adult Brain Damage (Aphasia). When someone has a stroke in Broca’s area, they might lose only their grammar while their general intelligence and memory remain perfectly fine. This suggests a specific "language center."

How does Statistical Learning support a Domain-General view?

Research shows that infants use the same pattern-tracking skills to learn music sequences and visual shapes as they do to find word boundaries in speech. The "tool" works for many domains

free morphemes

can stand alone like cat, dog etc

bound morphemes

Must be attached such as “ed” in jumped or “s” in cats

Invariance hypothesis

Invariance Hypothesis believes the left hemisphere is specialized for language from birth.