Lecture 4: Language Acquisition and Vocabulary Development

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to language acquisition and vocabulary development from the lecture notes.

What is the Mental Lexicon?

The Mental Lexicon is the store of words in the mind, including their forms, meanings, and relationships.

What are Phonemes?

Phonemes are the distinct units of sound that make up the syllables of words.

What are 'Word Functions' in language?

Word Functions refer to the work that words do to express concepts and link between concepts.

What is Linguistic Perception?

Linguistic Perception is the ability to perceive and distinguish between different speech sounds.

What is the Mapping Problem, also known as the 'gavagai' problem, in language acquisition?

The Mapping Problem refers to the difficulty of linking a word to its correct meaning, often highlighted by the 'gavagai' problem, which illustrates the challenge of determining which specific meaning or referent a new word corresponds to among countless possibilities.

What is the Extension Problem in language development?

The Extension Problem is the challenge of deciding how far to extend a word's meaning.

Describe 'Fast Mapping' in word acquisition.

Fast Mapping is the process of making an initial guess about a word's meaning and then refining that meaning with more input over time.

What is the Whole Object Bias in early word learning?

The Whole Object Bias is the assumption that a new word refers to a whole object, rather than to its specific parts or properties.

What is the Taxonomic Bias in language acquisition?

The Taxonomic Bias is the assumption that a new word refers to things of the same kind or category, rather than objects that are simply thematically related.

Explain the Mutual Exclusivity Bias.

The Mutual Exclusivity Bias is the assumption that each object has one distinct label, implying that if an object already has a name, a new word encountered must refer to something else.

What is the Noun Bias in early language development?

The Noun Bias is the phenomenon where early vocabularies are significantly dominated by nouns, largely because nouns are typically easier to map directly to physical objects.

Define 'Overextension' in language use.

Overextension occurs when a word is used too broadly, applying it to objects or concepts that fall beyond its accurate or intended meaning.

What is Underextension?

Underextension is the error of using a word too narrowly, applying it only to a specific instance rather than to the broader and appropriate general category.

If a child uses the word 'dog' only for their family pet, but not for other dogs, what kind of usage error are they making?

This is an example of underextension, where a word is used too narrowly, applying it only to a specific instance rather than the general category.

What is 'Context-bound Usage'?

Context-bound Usage describes when a child uses a word exclusively in one specific situation or context, rather than generalizing it to the broader range of contexts where it appropriately applies.

How do Cultural Differences impact vocabulary development?

Cultural Differences manifest as variations in how early vocabulary is encouraged and in what is recognized as a 'word' itself, both influenced by the specific cultural context.

What are the Gender Differences observed in early language development?

There is a tendency for girls to be slightly ahead in early language acquisition, often attributed to stronger social engagement compared to boys.

What is Bilingualism and how does it relate to language development?

Bilingualism is the ability to speak two languages, a condition that can significantly affect both overall vocabulary development and the understanding of individual words.

What are the key characteristics of Lexical Acquisition?

Key characteristics of Lexical Acquisition include large individual variation in development patterns, a dominance of nouns in early vocabulary, and the normal occurrence of both overextension and underextension errors.