Child Development: Language

What is phonology?

the sound system of a language

What is a phenome?

all the unique sounds in a langauge

How many phonomes does English have?

40

What are combination rules in languages?

acceptable structures and orders

What are semantics?

meaning of words

What do semantics mean in terms of language development?

turning phenomes to morphemes

What are morphemes?

the smallest meaningful units of language such as small words or prefixes

What does syntax mean?

the form or structure of a language using combinational rules

What are pragmatics?

rules about language in social contexts (what to say and how to say it)

When does the pre-linguistic period take place?

0-12 months

When does babbling occur?

3-4 months

What does cooing occur?

week 3-5

When does crying begin?

week 3-4

What is echolalia?

Repeating other's words or phrases

Give two examples of skills gained by infants from caregivers responding to their speech:

intonation and turn taking in dialogue

What skill is gained between 8-12 months?

infants associate objects with their name and use verbal representations

When is does symbolic representation, overextending and telegraphic develop?

18-24 months

What is true symbolic representation?

where infants store information in language form

What is overextendinding?

where an infant uses a single word for a group of words

What is telegraphic speech?

a child's first word combinations which omit unnecessary words

When do verbs and tenses develop in infants?

2+ years

True or false: at 2+ years, infants will continue to make logical errors such as mouses instead of mice

true

Why are rhymes useful for teaching children langauge?

they contain repetition, actions and a stage beat while the infant can predict missing words

At what age will children begin to use commentaries during play and partake in pre-sleep monologues

3-5

What is propositional thinking?

thinking using verbal language

What is imaginal thinking?

thinking using visual imagery

How do infants adjust their prototypes of concepts?

They arrange them into hierarchies of concepts

Describe Skinner's view on language acquisition:

language is learnt in a verbal environment via imitation and progressive reinforcement and so the more social input children have, the better their grasp of language

What is progressive reinforcement?

correcting the child of incorrect language

Describe Chomsky's view on language acquisition:

language is a biologically programmed behaviour and we are born with innate share linguistic principles called universal gramma

Describe Lenneberg's critical period hypothesis:

states that there are maturational constraints on the time a first language can be applied and if language acquisition does not occur by puberty, some aspects of language can be learned by full mastery cannot be achieved

What is the name of Lenneberg's theory on language only being able to be fully learnt in a state of neuroplasticity?

critical period hypothesis

True or false: deaf children with deaf parents share very different milestones with hearing children

false

True or false: deaf children with hearing parents often form a spontaneous 'home sign'

true

Give the simplified neuropathway for speaking a heard word:

primary auditory area-> Wernicke's area -> Broca's area-> motor area for speech

Give the simplified neuropathway for speaking a written word:

primary visual area-> Angular gyrus-> Wernicke's area-> Broca's area-> motor area for speech

What is expressive aphasia caused by?

damage to Broca's area

What is receptive aphasia caused by?

damage to Wernicke's area

Describe symptoms of expressive aphasia:

difficulty in speech including stuttering, hesitation and difficulty finding words but their comprehension is largely unimpaired

Describe symptoms of receptive aphasia:

impaired comprehension but fluent, grammatical speech that lacks content and is nonsense