l1 acquisition ● difference between input and intake?

L1 Acquisition

● Difference between input and intake?

L1 Acquisition

● Son: Put it in the mikeywave.● Father: In the mikeywave?

L1 Acquisition

● Son: Put it in the mikeywave.● Father: In the mikeywave?● Son: No, not the mikeywave, the mikeywave!

L1 Acquisition

● Son: Put it in the mikeywave.● Father: In the mikeywave?● Son: No, not the mikeywave, the mikeywave!

● What is going on in son's head?

L1 Acquisition

● Father: What do cows say?● Son: Moo● What do sheep say?● Son: Baa

L1 Acquisition

● Father: What do cows say?● Son: Moo● What do sheep say?● Son: Baa● Father:What do buffalo say?● Son: Pee (He saw one pee)

L1 Acquisition

● Father: What do cows say?● Son: Moo● What do sheep say?● Son: Baa● Father:What do buffalo say?● Son: Pee (He saw one pee)● What does say mean for the kid?

L1 Acquisition

● Kid: My truck bwoke● Mom: You mean your truck broke?● Kid: yeah, my truck bwoke

L1 Acquisition

● Kid: My truck bwoke● Mom: You mean your truck broke?● Kid: yeah, my truck bwoke● Mom: No, say it right, it broke. Now what

happened to your truck?

L1 Acquisition


happened to your truck?● Kid: The wheel fell off.

L1 Acquisition


happened to your truck?● Kid: The wheel fell off.● What's going on here?

L1 Acquisition

● Kid: Nobody don't like me● Mom: No, say nobody likes me● Kid: Nobody don't like me● (Repeat this 8 times)

L1 Acquisition

● Kid: Nobody don't like me● Mom: No, say nobody likes me● Kid: Nobody don't like me● (Repeat this 8 times)● Kid: Oh, nobody don't likes me!

L1 Acquisition

● Kid: Nobody don't like me● Mom: No, say nobody likes me● Kid: Nobody don't like me● (Repeat this 8 times)● Kid: Oh, nobody don't likes me!● What is going on?

L1 Acquisition

● Kid: Nobody don't like me● Mom: No, say nobody likes me● Kid: Nobody don't like me● (Repeat this 8 times)● Kid: Oh, nobody don't likes me!● What is going on?● Kid's top down processing using his

underdeveloped grammar is interfering with bottom up processing used in repetition

Zone of Proximal Development

● What someone is ready to learn– Because they have the grammar and

vocabulary necessary to take the next step




– L2 teachers teach at 1+ level





– Kids can imitate what is in their ZPD, but not what is beyond it





– Kids can imitate what is in their ZPD, but not what is beyond it• The man who I say yesterday runs fast

– The man who run fast (in ZPD)





– Kids can imitate what is in their ZPD, but not what is beyond it• The man who I say yesterday runs fast

– The man who run fast (in ZPD)

• The boy the chair hit was dirty– Boy hit the chair was dirty (beyond ZPD)

Innate vs. learned

● Are we prewired for language?● Or are we just smart and good at finding

patterns in language (and everything else too)?

Innate vs. learned

● 5 things necessary for an action to be innate (Lenneberg, 1967)

– It occurs before it is necessary

Innate vs. learned



– Not conscious or triggered• These suggest that cognition isn't important

Innate vs. learned



– Not conscious or triggered• These suggest that cognition isn't important

• Does low IQ affect language?

Innate vs. learned



– Not conscious or triggered

– Can‘t be taught• Do animals need to be taught to walk, chew,

mate, fly?

Innate vs. learned





mate, fly?

• So child directed speech (motherese) isn't effective?

Innate vs. learned





mate, fly?

• So child directed speech (motherese) isn't effective?

• Do children learn L2 by just watching TV?

Child Directed Speech

● Example


● Phonetics:– special pronunciation of certain words (wabbit

vs. rabbit)

– higher pitch

– greater range of frequencies

– slower rate of speech

– clearer enunciation

– emphasis on one or two words


● Grammar:– reduction or non-existence of inflections

– the use of an all-purpose auxiliary: English make, go

– avoidance of first and second person pronouns (Baby is finished? or Mommy is coming)


● Grammar:– reduction or non-existence of inflections

– the use of an all-purpose auxiliary: English make, go

– avoidance of first and second person pronouns (Baby is finshed? or Mommy is coming)

– omission of the copula

– more grammatically correct usage

– more grammatically simple phrases

– shorter phrases

– whole sentences are repeated or reworded


● Vocabulary:– set of words very small: 100 –150 words in

many languages

– semantic fields: kin, body, qualities, animals, food and games

– substitutions

– diminutives

– use of child's own forms


● Conversational features– more restricted topics

– more repetitions

– more questions/fewer declaratives

– repetitions, expansions, recasts


● Five functions of language• –Affection

• –Control

• –Information

• –Pedagogy

• –Social exchange


● Five functions of language• –Affection

• –Control

• –Information

• –Pedagogy

• –Social exchange

What percentage of each in CDS?


● Five functions of language• –Affection 33

• –Control 26

• –Information 20

• –Pedagogy 15

• –Social exchange 7

What percentage of each in CDS?


● Does CDS help learning?● or should you speak to kids like adults?


● Gestures– Main finding: gesturing by parents leads to

gesturing by infants which leads to• Vocabulary use at 1;2 years

• Vocabulary growth over time

• Scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) at 2;5 years

• children who use gesture put words together faster


● Intonation– CDS intonation has been found to help

• Word segmentation

• Understanding of complex syntax

• Interest in the speech


● Lexicon– Parents who heavily use CDS have children

with larger vocabularies and faster vocabulary growth over time .

– These children also end up having better reading comprehension abilities at age 10


● Syntax– Children whose parents use less complex

syntax, can learn syntax better


● Pragmatics– CDS interactions can encourage the child to

think of language as a social interaction, which involves turn-taking and politeness routines.


● So is language taught or not?


● So is language taught or not?● If so, then it may not be innate


● What affects use of CDS?– Socioeconomic status

– Gender

– Race


● Socioeconomic status– Less advantaged parents tend to talk less and

use less varied vocabulary with their children


● Gender– Fathers have more difficulty comprehending

their children‟s speech

– Fathers tend to talk less when interacting with children, and use more directives, which indicates a more authoritarian style

– Fathers are thought to use more “sophisticated” lexicons with children than mothers


● Gender– Interaction with mothers typically involves

caretaking activities, whereas father-child interaction is predominated by play activities

– Fathers have shorter mutual dialogues with their children

– Fathers respond less frequently to a child's requests


● Socioeconomic status– Use of rare words (less frequent)

• professional class parents used more rare terms than working class parents

• professional class fathers used more rare terms than mothers

• working class fathers used fewer than working class mothers.


● Socioeconomic status– Use of interrogatives

• Professional class parents used more question words than working class parents.

• Professional fathers used more question words than professional mothers

• Working class fathers used fewer question words than working class mothers


● Culture– Italians, French, Japanese, German, British

and American

– Who used CDS most? Least?


● Culture– Pitch differences for CDS and nonCDS speech

Steps in L1 Acquisition

● Babbling: 6-10 months● One-word stage: 12 month● Two-word stage: 18 month● Complex speech: 36 months


● Babbling Example– Larynx is high in throat

• swallowing and breathing possible at same time

– Larynx descends during first year• This allows speech sounds

– Babbling is experimenting with speech sounds


● One-word stage– Mainly nouns

– Dealing with immediate environment


● What do kids at one-word stage understand?


● Look, Cookie Monster is tickling Big Bird


● Experimenting with babies


● Two word stage– 18-24 months

– telegraphic speech (no function words)


● Two word stage: kinds of sentences– Identification: ―See doggie

– Location: ―Book there

– Repetition: ―More milk

– Nonexistence: ―All gone thing


● Two word stage: kinds of sentences– Negation: ―Not wolf

– Possession: ―My doggy

– Attribution: ―Big car

– Agent-action: ―Mama walk

– Action-direct object: ―Hit you


● Two word stage: kinds of sentences– Action-indirect object: ―Give Papa

– Action-instrument: ―Cut knife

– Question: ―Where ball?


● Is two-word speech grammatical?– Word order is normal

• Daddy go *go Daddy

• *Big he


● Complex grammar (36 months)– How many words do kids know?


● Complex sentences– Kathryn no like celery

– Baby doll ride truck

– Pig say oink

– Want lady get chocolate


● Complex sentences– Kathryn no like celery

– Baby doll ride truck

– Pig say oink

– Want lady get chocolate● What do they know?● What do they lack?


● Formulas used in acquisition– Mom: Do you like pizza?

– Kid: You like pizza• Formula: You-like-pizza

– Mom: Do you like pizza?

– Kid: no, I like candy• Formula: {subject} like {object}


● Formulas used in acquisition– Mom: Look at the bird.

– Kid: Mommy, look at the dog.

– Kid: Mommy, look at.• Formula: look-at


● Order of acquisition of morphemes (English)

1. -ing

2. Plural –s

3. Possessive –’s

4. 3rd person singular –s

5. Past marker –ed

6. Future marker ‘will’

7. Verb ‘to be’ (is, are)


● Order of acquisition of morphemes (English)1. -ing

2. Plural –s






Why these?


● Order of acquisition of morphemes (English)1. -ing

2. Plural –s






Why these?

regularity, productivity, frequency, # allomorphs


● Are there gender differences?


● How can we figure out what is in a kids grammar?– Wug test!


● Learning irregulars-U shaped curve

1. went men worst

2. goed mans baddest

3. wented mens worstest

4. went men worst

% correct starts high, goes down, then back up


● Learning irregulars-U shaped curve– Why?



• Forms learned by rote-unanalyzed

• General pattern learned-overregularization

• Exceptions to pattern learned



• Forms learned by rote-unanalyzed

• General pattern learned-overregularization

• Exceptions to pattern learned

• Most frequent verb are irregular

• Larger vocabulary includes more regulars


● Overgeneralization

J: There's somebody at the door.

M: There's no body at the door.

J: There's yes body at the door.



J: There's somebody at the door.

M: There's no body at the door.

J: There's yes body at the door.

F: Don't interrupt

J: Your interring up!



English:• yes: yep

• no: nope

Spanish• si: sip


● Acquisition of negatives– Stage 1 18-26 months

• Add no or not to beginning of sentence– No sit here– Not teddy bear– No fall



• Add no or not to beginning of sentence– No sit here– Not teddy bear– No fall

– Stage 2 22-30 months• Add not, not, don't can't before verb

– He no bite you– There no squirrels– You can't dance



• Add not, not, don't, can't,didn't, won't before verb– I didn't caught it– He not taking it– She won't let go

• Putting no, not before sentence no longer done


● Acquisition of questions– Stage 1 18-26 months

• Put Wh- words at beginning of sentence

• Use rising intonation– Where kitty?– Where horse go?– Sit chair?



• More Wh-words added (why, how)– Why you smiling?– You want eat?



• Verb subject inversion used

• Wh-words aren't always inverted

• Do beginning to be used– Can I have a piece?– How that happened?– Did I caught it?– What did you do?– Why kitty can't stand up?

Phonological Acquisition

● Newborn babies turn toward mother's voice– Especially if filtered through water



● Babies cries imitated language's intonation



● Babies cries imitated language's intonation● Babies suck pacifier more to new sounds



● Babies cries imitated language's intonationBabies suck pacifier more to new sounds

● By 1 year babies only attend to native language sounds

– Japanese babies don't distinguish [r] and [l]

– English babies do


● Babies learn intonation first (Video)

Is language innate?

● It occurs before it is necessary● Follows milestones● Can’t be taught● Everyone member of the species can learn the

language● There is a critical period

Evidence that language is innate?

● Intelligence doesn't matter● Children don't need explicit instruction● There is a critical period


● Intelligence doesn't matter– Christopher (Neil Smith, 1995)

• Non-verbal IQ of 60

• Cannot tie shoes or live on his own

• Can speak 16 different languages.

• Learned Dutch on the way to an talk show interview through reading a book

• Learned Hindi from brother-in-law just by listening to him speak

• Video


● Williams's syndrome– Cardiovascular problems

– Loss of genes that affect brain development and protein uptake

– Elfin facial features

– Disabilities in spatial abilities, math, cognitive reasoning

– Inability to capture wholistic understanding of events

– IQ ranging from 40 to 60


● Williams's syndrome– Exaggerated prosody and tone

– Extensive vocabularies• when asked to name animals, name yak, ibex,

and other exotic animals before naming things like dog, cat, etc.

– Extensive abilities to write, speak, and describe stories

– Normal phonological memory

– Video


● Williams's syndrome


● Genetic language impairment– Affect half of family members

• Loss of grammatical ability:– She remembered when she hurts herself the other

day.– The boys eat four cookie– Carol is cry in the church.

• Loss of comprehension

• Unable to carry out complex commands and understand complexities in language


The lady

pointing to tree

and man is

watch her. The

ambulance

come along

because man

fall off the tree



• Involves the FOXP2 gene• Is this the language gene?



• Involves the FOXP2 gene• Is this the language gene?

• No, it affects the heart and lungs too.• No, it is found in mice too• Many genes involved


● No input needed– Case: Input is inconsistent, not complete

– Case: Input is not a “full” language (pidgin)

– Case: Input is absent (Invented sign language)


● No input needed– Case: Input is inconsistent, not complete

• Simon-deaf

• Parent learned ASL late– They were very bad signers

• Used signed English in school

• Simon's ASL is fluent (not like his parents)


● No input needed– Case: Pidgins

• Making up new language to communicate


● No input needed– Case: Inventing a language (video)


● There is a critical period for language– Hemispherectomies (removal of half the brain)

• Adults never fully recover language

• Children under 6 fully recover language

• Children between 6 and 12 mixed results


● There is a critical period for language– Aphasia

• For kids under six language moves to right side

• For kids over six it doesn't


● There is a critical period for language– Feral children

• Genie: no language until 13


● There is a critical period for language– Genie: no language until 13

• Phonology: not normal

• Syntax: – At school teacher give block– No get book– (no passive voice0


● There is a critical period for language– Isabelle: hidden by psycho mom until 6

• At 7 her speech was normal

– Chelsea: deaf woman supposed retarded• Given hearing aids at 31

• Terrible language– Breakfast eating girl– Banana the eat

l1 acquisition ● difference between input and intake?

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