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Dev Psy Lecture Slides Chapter+9 Complete

Language develops through complex rule systems including phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. Children acquire language through biological predispositions as well as social interactions. While gestures are used for early communication, signed languages like American Sign Language are considered full languages with their own rules and structures.

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26 views51 pages

Dev Psy Lecture Slides Chapter+9 Complete

Language develops through complex rule systems including phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. Children acquire language through biological predispositions as well as social interactions. While gestures are used for early communication, signed languages like American Sign Language are considered full languages with their own rules and structures.

Uploaded by

samazayeddd
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Language Development

October 24, 2023


Language Development
• Question: Are sign languages real languages?

• Answer: Absolutely!
Language: An Everyday Miracle
• Language is arguably the single greatest
human achievement

• Only humans can do it: human essence

• Every culture does it differently…


• But development similar across cultures
What is Language?

• Language is a form of communication that uses symbols to represent


concepts

• Words are arbitrary (different languages use different words to refer


to the same object)
What is Language?

• Language shows displacement:

• Can refer to objects not physically present; past, future


What is Language?

• Language is generative: can create an endless series of new


combinations, all built from the same fundamental units

• Old words can take on new meaning


• E.g., ghost, catfish (as verbs)

• Portmanteaus (blending two words to form new ones)


• E.g., “staycation”, “bromance,” “frenemy”
Language’s Rule
Systems
Language’s Rule Systems

Pragmatics

Semantics

Syntax

Morphology

Phonology
Language’s Rule Systems

1) Phonology

• A phoneme is the basic unit of sound


in a language

• E.g., /r/ and /l/ in English are two


distinct phonemes, they are the
same phoneme in Japanese
1. Phonological Development

• From birth - 6 mo’s, infants can detect


phoneme changes from all languages

• Werker (1989): After 6 mo’s, infants


become better at discriminating
phonemes within own language, but
worse within other languages

• Video of Werker’s research


1. Phonological Development

• Word comprehension:
• In evidence by 6 mo’s
• Understanding common expressions at
9 mo’s
• Use own name as an anchor for
learning new words (perceptual
scaffolding)

• Multiple strategies for identifying words


1. Phonological Development
• Language Progress
• Early Vocalization (cooing)  Babbling 
Speaking
1. Phonological Development
• Languages cater to young children’s phonological
limitations

• E.g., “mama”, “papa”, “dada” refer to parents

• Mispronunciations common as children try to


simplify words
• Produce “minimal words”
• E.g., “du”, “ju”, “dus” = juice
Language’s Rule Systems

• 2) Morphology
• Morpheme: minimal unit of meaning in word
formation
• Truck = 1 morpheme
• Table = 1 morpheme
• Houseboat = 2 morphemes

• -s, -er, -ly considered morphemes because they


change the meaning of a word
Language’s Rule Systems

Word - strangers

Morpheme - strange er s
Meaning
Phoneme - s/t/r/ey/n/j er z
Sound
2. Morphological Development

• First words are holophrases: single


word that can have multiple semantic
meanings

• E.g., “Doggie!” = “There is a dog” or


“I like the dog,” etc.
2. Morphological Development
• vocabulary explosion: 12-18 mos, learn 1-2
words / day

• Fast Mapping:
-the way in which children quickly connect
new words with their meanings

-at first (18-20 mos), requires joint attention


2. Morphological Development

• Fast Mapping:

-processing constraints: help children narrow


down meaning of new word

e.g., words refer to whole objects

e.g., words have unique meanings


“poodle” = subcategory of dog
2. Morphological Development
• “Vocabulary explosion” accompanied by
common errors:

• Overextensions

• E.g., all four-legged creatures are dogs

• Underextensions

• E.g., only family’s dog is a dog


2. Morphological Development

• Infants begin using two-word phrases at 18 to 24 months

• Telegraphic speech

• E.g., Where doggie?

• E.g., My hat.
2. Morphological Development

• Individual differences in:

a. Phonological memory

b. Word learning styles

i. Referential
-mostly people or objects
ii. Expressive
-more social phrases (stop it!, oh no!)
Language’s Rule Systems

3) Syntax

• The manner in which morphemes and words are


combined to create grammatically correct phrases and
sentences
3. Syntax Development

• The “wug” test


• Asks Ps to perform a
grammatical manipulation on a
novel word.

• Young children (4-5) able to


perform this task, suggesting
they’re able to extract
generalizable rules. Jean Berko (1958)
3. Syntax Development

• Young children begin to grasp rules of


morphology

• E.g., adding -s to create plural form, -ed


to create past tense

• Overregularization sometimes occurs


• E.g., I brushed my tooths
3. Syntax Development

• Young children begin to grasp rules of syntax

• “Where kitty?” to “Where kitty is going?” to


“Where is kitty going?”
Language’s Rule Systems

4) Semantics
• The meaning of words and sentences

• A sentence can be semantically correct but syntactically wrong


• E.g., “I am doing good today.”

• A sentence can be syntactically correct but semantically wrong


• E.g., “Colourless green ideas sleep furiously.”
4. Semantic Development

-children < 4-5 misinterpret passive constructions

1. The girl hit the boy.


2. The boy was hit by the girl.

-pre-schoolers interpret #2 as “boy hit the girl”

-but will understand “The candy was eaten by


the girl.”
Language’s Rule Systems

5) Pragmatics – learning how language is used in


particular contexts within a culture
5. Pragmatic Development

• A. Acquiring conversational skills

• Turnabout: speaker replies then adds something


to get partner to respond again
• E.g.,
• Parent: How are you?
• Child: I’m fine… how are you?
5. Pragmatic Development

• A. Acquiring conversational skills

• Illocutionary intent: what a speaker means to say

e.g., “There are toys all over the floor”


= “Clean up this mess!”
5. Pragmatic Development

• B. Communicating clearly

• Referential communication skills: producing clear


verbal messages and recognizing when messages
we receive are unclear
5. Pragmatic Development

• C. Narratives

• Progress from “leapfrog” narratives (age 3 / 4)…


• To chronological narratives (age 5) …
• To classic narratives (age 6)
5. Pragmatic Development
• D. Sociolinguistic Understanding

• Adapting language style to social context

• E.g., being polite when making requests


How do Children Acquire
Grammar?
1. Classical Behaviourist Perspective

• Babies start out “dumb”


• Through experience they gain knowledge about
language & the world

• Language learned via imitation & reinforcement

35
2. Nativist Perspective
• Babies are smart – knowledge is innate
• “There is a special cognitive faculty for
learning & acquiring language” - Steven
Pinker

• Chomsky: humans biologically


programmed to learn basic systems of
language

36
2. Nativist Perspective
• a) Specialized brain structures and networks to
support language

• Broca’s area (language production) and


Wernicke’s area (language comprehension)
2. Nativist Perspective

-b) only humans learn grammar readily

-Chimps can understand human language but can’t


learn rules of syntax
2. Nativist Perspective

-b) only humans learn grammar readily

E.g., Kanzi the Chimpanzee understands 100s of words


& follows instructions
-basic grammar (= a 2-y-o-human)

Video: Kanzi the chimpanzee


2. Nativist Perspective

c) Strong link between growth of vocabulary and


mastery of grammar

-Common underlying system: Language Acquisition


Device (LAD)
2. Nativist Perspective

d) Critical period for learning fluent language skills

e.g., feral children (Victor, the “wild boy of Aveyron”)


e.g., isolated children (Genie)
-unable to learn more than a basic understanding of
language
3. Social-Interactionist Perspective

• Language arises from a combination of


biological maturation and environmental
experiences
• Conversations more important than exposure
to talking
• Recall Vygotsky’s “collaborative learning”
3. Social-Interactionist Perspective

• Language arises from a combination of biological


maturation and environmental experiences
• Make stories interactive (to enhance learning)
Signed Language &
Gestural Communication
Using Gestures to Communicate
• Gestures used to communicate, but not
considered language

• Infants (8-10 mo’s) learn to gesture before being


able to communicate using language
• E.g., pointing to object they want
Using Gestures to Communicate
• Gestures used to communicate, but not
considered language

• Many are culture-specific


• E.g., “thumbs up”
Using Gestures to Communicate
• Precursor to language:
• Rowe et al. (2008)
• The more children gestured at 14 mo’s, the greater
their spoken vocabulary at 42 mo’s

• Often accompany speech when toddlers learning to


talk
• e.g., holding out arms, curling fingers to look like
claws (while trying to say “lion”)
Signed Languages

• E.g., American Sign Language (ASL)

• Considered to be a true language


• Symbolic, arbitrary, generative, shows
displacement
Signed Languages
• Deaf children exposed to ASL:

• Progress through language milestones in much the


same way as hearing children
• signs can be produced at an earlier age than spoken
words

• Learn to “babble” in sign before progressing to


holophrases
Signed Languages
• Deaf children exposed to ASL:

• Are proficient at fast-mapping to expand


vocabulary

• Experience growth in same brain areas as


hearing children
Signed Languages
• Deaf children not exposed to sign language
often create their own!

• E.g., Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL)

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