307 week 3

Definition: Variations in language based on geographic, social, or cultural factors.
- Everyone has a dialect.
- Example: The speaker identifies as using Standard American English (SAE) or Mainstream American English (MAE), influenced by the American Southwest and native to Orange County.
Components of Dialect:
- Pragmatics: Contextual language use, e.g., "Didn’t you want to go at 5?"
- Syntax: Structure of sentences, e.g., "Would it be possible to get another spoon?"
- Semantics: Meaning of words, e.g., variations in the term "soda."
- Phonology: Study of sounds; e.g., for the speaker, "cot" and "caught" share the same vowel sound.
- Morphology: Structure of words; e.g., use of phrases like "Drive safe."
- Voicing: Characteristics of speech sounds, e.g., glottal fry.
Register: Variations in speech according to context:
- Vernacular: Casual form of speaking.
- Style Shifting: Adjusting speaking style from casual to formal based on audience perception.

Definition: Frameworks for studying language, encompassing the types of questions asked and methodologies used.
Major Contrasts:
- Nature: Language development is a natural human ability.
- Nurture: Language development occurs through nurturance and environmental learning.
- Generative/Nativist Approach: Suggests inherent language rules in humans.
- Interactionist Approach: Language emerges from interaction between biological and environmental factors.

Fundamental Idea: Children possess innate language learning capabilities.
- Language is considered a universal human characteristic.
- Concept of "Language Acquisition Device" (LAD): An assumed brain structure equipped with universal grammatical rules (syntax) and semantic rules (agent + action + object).
Supporting Evidence:
- Observational data shows that children make speech errors that are typically not replicated by them upon hearing adults.
- Children learn languages quickly, often independently.
Key Figure: Noam Chomsky
Challenges to the Approach:
- The argument that children receive substantial language inputs.
- It does not explicate various idioms and their meanings that go beyond grammatical structure.

Definition: Language development results from interactions between biological predispositions and environmental inputs.
Language Learning Principles:
- Humans have a tendency to find patterns; language is viewed as pattern-oriented.
- Constructionist View: Language structures evolve from practical use, with children discerning patterns as they engage throughout growth.
Child's Role: Active participant, engaging with their surroundings and the people within them.
Example of Child-Directed Speech/Motherese: A simplified form of language used by adults towards children.
Key Figure: B.F. Skinner (behaviorist perspective)
Challenges: Diverse linguistic environments produce varying inputs, yet children often achieve similar language acquisition milestones.

Overview: Numerous theories exist; three will be examined in detail:
- Behavioral Learning Theory
- Cognitivist Learning Theory
- Social Constructivist Learning Theory

Key Figure: B.F. Skinner
Core Focus: Observable behaviors and responses to stimuli.
Learning Concept: Occurs through behavior changes influenced by antecedents and consequences.
Example of Antecedents and Consequences:
- Antecedent: Parent says no more cookies
- Behavior: Child begins to cry
- Consequence: Negative reinforcement.
- Antecedent: Child hits a peer
- Behavior: The peer runs away
- Consequence: The child may feel successful or rewarded due to desired outcome.

Focus: Underlying thought processes affecting behavior changes.
Learning Framework: Prior knowledge shapes learning experiences.
Mental Models/Schemas: Concepts help categorize knowledge; the model of “dog” evolves with new encounters.
Key Figure: Jean Piaget
Concepts:
- Cognitive Change: Results from adaptation and organization of thought processes.
- Adaptation: Modifying responses based on environmental changes.
- Organization: Re-categorizing information as required.
- Quote: "Cognitive development is not a quantitative accumulation of ideas and facts. It is a qualitative change" in information organization (Owens, p. 49).

Assimilation and Accommodation:
- Assimilation: New experiences assimilate into existing schemas = additive process.
- Accommodation: New experiences do not fit existing schemas = prompts schema revision or creation.
- Equilibrium: A balance between schemas and incoming stimuli.
Challenge: Fails to sufficiently address the role of social language in cognitive development.

Definition: Cognitive development emerges via social interaction and language use as communication tools.
Role of Experience: Experiences shape mental models of the social environment.
Language Acquisition: Socially acquired; heavily influenced by interpersonal engagements.
Key Concept: Zone of Proximal Development.
Key Figure: Lev Vygotsky
Challenge: Lacks details regarding specific cognitive processes involved in learning.

Types of Studies:
- Speech Perception Studies: Examine infants' responses to speech sounds.
- Language Comprehension Studies: Investigate understanding of directions (written or spoken).
- Formal Testing: Structured assessment for standardized language measurements.
- Informal Testing: Naturalistic observation or language sampling.
Reflective Questions:
- What are the benefits and limitations of formal vs informal language measures?

Sample Size: Important to define participant numbers and utterances.
- Example: For $n = 50 + 8(m)$, where $m$ = number of independent variables.
Representativeness: Samples should accurately reflect variations in socioeconomic status (SES), race, gender, dialectal variations, region, etc.
Reflective Question: Why is it critical to have a representative sample in research?

Objective: Investigate universality in language development.
- Developmental Milestones: Examination of language learning milestones across different cultures; e.g., variations in PLS-5 question order in Spanish vs. English.
- Example Study: ASK-Q-2 conducted in 13 countries; survey questions revised from 51 to 33 for cross-cultural applicability.