Theories of Language Development Flashcards
Theories of Language Development
This lecture covers theories of first language acquisition, focusing on linguistic nativism and usage-based theories, particularly regarding the development of lexicon (semantics), syntax, and pragmatics.
Components of Language
Language is a complex system composed of multiple interacting components:
Phonology: The system of sounds (phonemes) used for oral communication.
Morphology: How combinations of phonemes create meaningful units (morphemes).
Syntax: Rules and principles governing sentence structure.
Semantics: Meanings of words.
Pragmatics: The use of language in social interaction.
Linguistic Nativism
Key Figure: Noam Chomsky, considered the father of modern linguistics.
Core Idea: Humans are biologically programmed to learn language, possessing innate knowledge and mechanisms specific for language learning.
Modularity of Cognition: Specific modules exist, dedicated to language, separate from socio-cognitive mechanisms.
Language Acquisition Device (LAD): A hypothetical tool enabling humans to learn language and understand its core structure.
Universal Grammar: Innate knowledge of the basic structures of all languages.
Learning Processes: Learning words and syntax are separate processes.
Linguistic Input: The linguistic input is insufficient for language learning; innate mechanisms are required due to the complexity of language.
Nature vs. Nurture: Linguistic nativism leans toward the nature side, emphasizing biological predispositions.
Usage-Based Theories
Key Figure: Tomasello.
Core Idea: Language is learned through mechanisms used in other cognitive domains, such as socio-cognitive mechanisms.
Learning Processes: Learning syntax and words are combined processes.
Linguistic Input: Linguistic input is sufficient for learning core components of language, including syntax and words.
Acquisition of the Lexicon (Semantics)
*Semantics refers to the meaning; understanding that a word is associated with a mental picture of the referent, refers to a concrete referent.
Quine's Gavagai Problem
Explains the complexity of word learning:
A child (or adventurer) arrives on an island and hears a native speaker say "gavagai" while pointing at a rabbit.
The child must understand the association between the word and the referent.
The problem: Gavagai could refer to the whole rabbit, a part of it, or an action associated with it (e.g., running).
All Object Assumption
Linguistic Nativist View: Children are born with knowledge of how words work and assume new words refer to a whole object, not parts or properties.
Evidence suggests that even in languages with more verbs (e.g., Japanese, Mandarin), children tend to map new words onto objects.
Evidence against: Korean and Mandarin-speaking children use proportionally more verbs than English-speaking children in their first 50 words, possibly due to the prominence of verbs in these languages.
Mutual Exclusivity Assumption
Children assume a one-to-one mapping relationship between basic-level word forms and their meanings.
One word corresponds to one object; multiple labels cannot apply to a single object.
Experiment Paradigm:
Children are presented with a familiar object (e.g., a duck) and an unfamiliar object.
In the experimental condition, they are asked to "Show me the modi" (a nonsense word).
Children tend to apply the new label to the unfamiliar object, excluding the familiar object.
A control condition (Show me one of them) is used to check for a response bias towards novel objects.
Usage-Based Theory Perspective on Lexicon Acquisition
Socio-cognitive mechanisms are fundamental for word learning.
Joint Attention: Shared attention towards a common referent (child, adult, and object involved).
Adults use gaze and pointing to help children understand new words.
Experiment: Follow-in labeling condition (experimenter and child look at the same object) vs. discrepant labeling condition (experimenter and child look at different objects).
Children learn new words successfully in the joint attention (following labeling) condition.
Intention Reading: The ability to understand the speaker’s intentions.
Experiment: Children identify a "gazer" (nonsense word) by understanding the experimenter’s search intentions based on non-verbal cues.
Understanding what others know influences word association.
The core debate is whether these mechanisms are innate or products of social interaction.
Learning of Syntax
Syntax refers to the rules for combining words into sentences, it can change depending on the language.
Linguistic Nativism Perspective on Syntax Acquisition
World learning and syntax learning are separate processes.
Innate knowledge of syntax exists.
Linguistic input is not fundamental for syntax acquisition.
Usage-Based Theories Perspective on Syntax Acquisition
Syntax learning is initially based around frequent words.
Children associate words in isolated, item-based constructional islands.
Holofrasis: Children use a unique word with the meaning of an entire sentence (e.g., "gone" meaning "I would like to know where Daddy is").
Experiment Example:
Children hear sentences with high-frequency verbs (e.g., "bear frog pushed") or less common verbs (e.g., "bear frog should").
Children hearing frequent verbs tend to correct the sentence, while those hearing less frequent verbs tend to replicate the SVO structure.
Evidence against a purely word-based approach:
Experiment: 24- and 21-month-olds watch videos of a bunny acting on a duck and vice versa; they hear "The gap is gulping the bunny."
Children tend to look at the video matching the sentence structure, suggesting pre-lexical knowledge about sentence rules.
Socio-cognitive mechanisms are fundamental for syntax development.
Studies show a correlation between time spent in shared attention with caregivers and later sentence production.
Linguistic input is important.
Correlations exist between the use of certain structures in parental speech and in children’s speech.
Statistical Learning:
Ability to implicitly learn the probabilities with which particular contexts predict the occurrence of certain items.
Children understand patterns and reproduce them.
Example: A red triangle is always followed by a blue rhombus.
Experiment with passive sentences: Children exposed to passive sentences tend to use passive structures when describing pictures.
Development of Pragmatics
Pragmatics: How people use language to communicate, depending on the context.
Main Pragmatic Skills:
Irony and sarcasm understanding.
Conversation skills.
Referential communication.
What is needed to be good at pragmatics:
*Core language: *Theory of Mind: *The under standing that, hour behavior is motivated not Holly by hour desires badulso by the knowledge we have. *Executive Functioning.
*Inhibitory control.
*Cognitive Flexibility.
*Working memory.
Usage-Based Theories Perspective on Pragmatics
Pragmatics and communicative intention reading occur before children have learned verbal language.
Pragmatic skills push children to learn core language components.
Studies
Experiment: Children play a puzzle game with experimenter one and a cleaning-up game with experimenter two.
When experimenter one points to an object, children put it into the puzzle, and when experimenter two points, they put it into the basket.
Children use shared experience to interpret the pointing.
Linguistic nativists argue that children cannot learn world meanings and syntax without innate learning mechanisms and innate representations specific to these domains; in contrast, usage-based theories argue that world meanings and syntax can be learned via learning mechanisms.
*The combination of which is specific to humans.
*Core language emerges from early pragmatic understanding.