Cognitive Development: Language

Infants and children face an especially important developmental task with the acquisition of language

Objectives

• List the 5 stages of how children acquire language

• Compare and contrast Surface and deep language structure

• Analyze the importance of linguist Noam Chomsky by formulating his concepts of Innate( natural) capacity for language & Language acquisition device

• What is the critical period?

Babbling/ vocabulary

• Newborns have a natural ability to produce language sounds.

• For example: Mamama, beebee• Parentese- Parental Baby Talk, happens in second

stage.• Found in Australia, America, Sweden, Japan• 5 stages of acquiring language. Crying, babbling,

One word stage, two word stage, and telegraphic speech.

Parentese

Language developmentAcquisition of speech begins in the first few months.Infants are responsive to pitch, intensity, and sound.

By 4-6 months of age children can recognize their names and repetitive words.

By 6-12 months they become familiar with sentence structure, start babbling.

chapter 3

Early Language• Stage 3 4-6- Months- recognize Mommy, Daddy-emotion=

1 word• 6 mon-1 year= 2 words- Love daddy or tree car• Telegraphic- First combination of words• “My toy, Mama here”• Age 6: 8,000- 14,000 words• 8 words a day for 5 years

Telegraphic connections

Language developmentBy 11 months, infants use symbolic gestures.

About 12 months, infants use words to label objects.

18-24 months, toddlers combine 2-3 words into telegraphic speech.

chapter 3

Innate Capacity for Language

• Used to think Children acquired lang. from watching adults

• Then Noam Chomsky Argues lang. far to complex• Surface structure- the way the sentence is

actually spoken or signed• Apply Grammatical rules (syntax- particular word

order of language)• Deep structure- Contains meaning

Innate capacity for language

Language too complex to be learned bit by bit

Sentences have surface and deep structures.Surface structure: the way a sentence is spokenDeep structure: how a sentence is to be understoodTo transform surface sentence structures into deep ones, children must apply rules of grammar.

chapter 3

Two Types

Language Acquisition Device

• Noam Chomsky’s Mental module • Allows development of grammar AS A RESULT

of adequate sampling of language• Children's brains core sensitive to nouns,

verbs, subjects, objects (found in all languages)

• Psycholinguistics- researchers who study language

Language acquisition device

If we don’t teach syntax to toddlers, the brain must contain a language acquisition device.An innate module that allows young children to develop language if they are exposed to an adequate sampling of conversation

Children are born with universal grammar, a sensitivity to the core features common to all languages.Nouns and verbs, subjects and objects, negatives

chapter 3

L.A.D.

Chomsky’s position supported by evidence

1. Children of different cultures go through similar stages of linguistic development

F.E. no or not at beginning “no get dirty”2. Children combine words that adults never wouldF.E. Lets go to the store…”go store”Overregularizations- Show child has grasped a

grammatical rule (add t or d sound to make past tense

“ Marky hitted my head so I throwed the truck at him.”

Evidence continued

• 3. Adults do not constantly correct their children’s syntax, yet children learn to speak or sign correctly anyways

• Want Milk….incorrect grammar but still get the milk

• 4. Children who are not exposed to adult language may invent a language of their own

• F.E. Deaf children in America, Taiwan create own similar language

Last piece of language Evidence

• 5. Infants as young as 7 months can derive simple linguistic rules from a string of sounds

• F.E. ABA pattern : Ga ti ga….get bored abb: Wo fe fe

• Response suggests babies can discriminate the different types of structures

Evidence supporting the LAD

Children. . .in different cultures go through similar stages of linguistic development.combine words in ways adults never would.learn to speak or sign correctly without adult correction.not exposed to adult language may invent a language of their own.as young as 7 months can derive simple linguistic rules from a string of sounds.

chapter 3

Effects/Influence

• Chomsky’s ideas revolutionized thinking about language and human nature

• Nature plays a role, parents help along• C=Monkey climbing!.....P=Yes the monkey is climbing the

tree• Recast- AS A RESULT language depends on biological

readiness and social experience• Critical period- first few years of life, or possible decade,

children need practice and exposure to language• When development should happen

Critical Period

Evidence for learning and language

Children learn the probability that any given word or syllable will follow another.Parents respond to children’s errors by restating or elaborating the phrase. Children imitate these adult recasts and expansions.

chapter 3

Summaries

• Lang acc 5 stages• Deep and surface structure• Chomsky = LAD