Lecture 5

Discussion on the essential components and characteristics of language and its development.

Arbitrariness:
- Language uses symbols that do not inherently resemble the objects they represent.
- Example: The word "dog" (English) is arbitrary compared to "chien" (French).
- No direct relationship exists between the word and the object it describes.
Productivity:
- Language can generate an unlimited number of novel ideas and expressions.
- Unlike fixed media (like books or videos), spoken language can create unique sentences.
- Example: Creating a completely new phrase such as "that dog is a word for xen" illustrates language's productive nature.
- This trait enables the easy detection of plagiarism, as phrases can vary greatly.
Full of Meaning:
- Words hold specific meanings; for instance, "dog" differs from "cat" or "wolf."
Displacement:
- Language allows users to communicate about things not present in the immediate context, including past and future events.
- Example: talking about a dog seen yesterday or one hoped to have in the future.
Duality:
- Language consists of sounds (phonetics) and their meanings (semantics).
- Example: In English, the pronunciation of "hospital" differs from its French counterpart, but they convey similar meanings.

Language development reflects an interaction between nature (biological predispositions) and nurture (environmental stimuli).
Typical progression through stages:
- Crying in early months
- Cooing and Babbling: Repetitive sound play, initially universal, but rapidly adapts to local language sounds.
- Initial Words: The first words appear, building blocks for language development.
- Combining Phrases: Children form phrases.
- Complex Sentences: Short sentences evolve, leading to adult-like speech by around 5 years.
Importance of gestures emerges early in development, contributing to communication.

Phonemes:
- The basic sounds that make up language.
- Example: Distinctions like "ba" and "da," differing between languages (e.g., San Bushmen sounds).
Morphemes:
- Sounds with meaning; words can consist of multiple morphemes, leading to complexity in language.
- Free Morphemes: Words that can stand alone (e.g., "dog, cat").
- Bound Morphemes: Must attach to free morphemes to convey meaning (e.g., "-ed" for past tense).
Syntax/Grammar:
- Describes how to arrange morphemes into meaningful phrases and sentences according to linguistic rules.
- Example: In English, adjectives precede nouns, while in French, they follow.

Refers to mastering the sounds of a language.
Babbling starts universally but quickly becomes focused on sounds from ambient languages.
Babbling is linked to the brain's language structures, supporting the idea that it is not just a motor behavior but tied to linguistic capability.

Reference to key age milestones in sound mastery and language development:
- By age 3-4: Children typically master the fundamental sounds of their language.
- Use of phonemes linked to specific meanings begins (e.g., "dog" versus "cat").

First Words: Usually emerge around 9-12 months, with a significant vocabulary increase from about 18 months onward.
- Common first words include objects, actions, and modifiers.
Understanding vs. Production:
- Children understand words before they can pronounce them, such as pointing to a dog when they hear the word but not yet being able to say it.

Children may overextend or underextend words based on experience and exposure, seeking clarification through intonation and context.
Example of overextension: calling a chihuahua a "cat" due to familiarity with larger animals and lack of exposure to smaller breeds.

Pragmatic Use of Language: Children learn to adjust their language use based on social context and audience.
Example: Different speech styles are used with friends, family, and authority figures.
Development of meta-communication: Awareness of how effectively one’s message is delivered and received, which improves with age and experience.

Suggests language is learned through reinforcement and imitation from the environment.
Children learn through association, learning the meaning of words through positive reinforcement.

Proposes that the ability to learn language is innate and governed by a "language acquisition device."
Emphasizes the importance of inherent structures in human brain that support language learning regardless of the ambient environment.

Highlights the complex interplay between environment and innate ability.
Suggests that language learning is an interactive process, enhanced by social context and communication with caregivers.

Emphasizes the importance of early exposure to language for proper development.
Failure to receive adequate language exposure during critical periods (e.g., cases like Jeanie and Victor) can lead to long-lasting impairments in language capacity.
Children have increased neural plasticity for language learning, affecting their ability to acquire grammar and semantics.

Language development is a complex interplay of biological and environmental factors.
Children are capable of learning complex language systems effortlessly in a structured social environment, leading to significant vocabulary growth and semantic understanding as they age.