Language acquisition is a universal process.
Typically developing children around the world follow the same stages in the same sequence:
This is applicable to both spoken and signed languages.
Crying (0-1 month):
Primary means of communication; includes cries, burps, and grunts.
Cooing (2-3 months):
Vowel-like sounds; includes coo/goo sounds and gurgling.
Early exploration of vocalization involving velar sounds (back vowels).
Vocal Play (3-4 months):
Development of more varied sounds; includes raspberries, squeals, yells.
Babbling (4-12 months):
Starts with CV monosyllables (4-6 months).
Progresses to canonical babbling (7-10 months).
Culminates in variegated babbling (10-12 months).
One-Word Stage (1-1.5 years):
Lexicon consists of less than 50 words; overlaps with babbling.
Simple phonology; mainly includes nouns and verbs; uses holophrases (e.g., "want!", "more!").
Two-Word Stage (1.5-2 years):
Lexicon increases to over 50 words; combinations start to make semantic sense.
Not necessarily syntactically correct; focuses on meaning rather than grammatical structure.
Telegraphic Speech (2+ years):
Combinations of two or more words; begins to use content words over function words.
Word order begins to show patterns; function morphemes are acquired consistently over time.
Child-Directed Speech (CDS):
Speech directed to children; characterized by exaggerated pitch and prosody (parentese).
Holophrases:
One-word utterances that convey complex ideas.
Children generally produce more language than they understand; False.
Newborns can distinguish their native dialect by around 5 months; False.
Canonical babbling occurs before variegated babbling; True.
Babies in utero cannot hear language; True.
Corpus Callosum:
Thick fiber bundle connecting the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Right hemisphere is involved in visual-spatial tasks, non-speech sounds, and music.
Left hemisphere primarily responsible for language and analytical processing.
Localization:
Different brain regions perform different functions.
The brain's organization is contralateral; each hemisphere controls the opposite body side.
Aphasia:
Language disorder resulting from brain damage (e.g., trauma, stroke).
Broca’s Aphasia: Broken but comprehensible speech; struggles with word retrieval.
Wernicke’s Aphasia: Fluent speech filled with lexical errors, often incomprehensible.
Topics for the quiz include:
Stages of language acquisition.
Theories of language acquisition in different contexts.
Age determination based on language ability.
Recognition of Broca’s vs. Wernicke’s aphasia cases.
Homework due involves language acquisition and brain functions.
Ensure familiarity with the stages and abilities related to children’s language.
Language acquisition involves complex interaction between developmental stages and brain functions, highlighting the biological basis of language and its cognitive processes.