Understanding Language Acquisition and Development

Language

A system of sounds or gestures used to communicate with others

Verbal sounds

Sounds produced by the human voice to convey meaning

Gestures

Non-verbal communication methods, such as Sign Language

Worldwide Language Distribution

Approximately 7,000 living languages

Languages spoken by 100+ million people

Only 11 languages: Arabic, Bengali, English, German, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Landa

Evolutionary Advantages of Language

Helps humans choose mates, identify food sources, and establish social status

Language Learning Stages

Processes through which children acquire language, including phonological, semantic, grammatical, and pragmatic development

Phonology

Sound Development in language acquisition

Infant Sound Perception

At 6 months: Universal listeners; At 12 months: Native listeners

Phonemes

Smallest units of sound that change word meaning; English has 44 phonemes

Semantic Development

Word Meaning acquisition through processes like labeling and biases

Labeling

Parents provide object names to children

Mutual Exclusivity Bias

Associating unfamiliar words with new objects

Whole Object Bias

Initially labeling entire objects rather than specific parts

Grammar Development

Includes morphology and syntax in language acquisition

Morphology

Word Formation in language, including over-regularization

Over-regularization

Applying grammatical rules incorrectly, e.g., 'He goed' instead of 'he went'

Syntax

Sentence Structure in language development

Pragmatics

Social Language Use, including turn-taking and understanding sarcasm

Gender and Language Development

Mothers respond more readily to infant vocal cues; girls acquire language skills earlier than boys

Older Sister Effect

Children with older sisters demonstrate better language skills

Pandemic Impact

Babies born during COVID-19 pandemic showed slightly reduced language development

Language Acquisition Timeline

Key milestones in language development: Cooing at 2 months, Babbling at 4-6 months, Vocabulary Spurt at 18-24 months