Language Acquisition Overview

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Questions and Answers

At what age do children typically onset communication through gestures?

18 months

12 months

9 months (correct)

6 months

What is a key characteristic of early words produced by children around 12 months of age?

They vary significantly in meaning.

They are approximations of adult words. (correct)

They closely resemble adult words.

They are always grammatically correct.

What typically happens to the rate of vocabulary acquisition between 16 and 18 months?

It levels off completely.

It remains unchanged.

It declines significantly.

It begins to accelerate. (correct)

Which of the following categories constitutes over half the words children use in the one-word stage?

General nominals Signup and view all the answers

Around what age do children typically produce their first two-word sentences?

18 months Signup and view all the answers

What does 'Mean Length of Utterance' (MLU) measure in children?

The average number of words in their sentences. Signup and view all the answers

What is a holophrase?

A single word conveying multiple meanings. Signup and view all the answers

How many words is it estimated that children have in their vocabulary by around 18 months?

50 words Signup and view all the answers

Which type of word describes actions, such as 'look'?

Action words Signup and view all the answers

What is the average vocabulary size of a 6-year-old child?

13000 words Signup and view all the answers

What is cross-sectional research focused on?

Studying children of different ages Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary means of communication for infants until about 2 months old?

Crying Signup and view all the answers

At what age does cooing typically begin?

2 months Signup and view all the answers

Which statement is true about the variability in language acquisition?

There are biological, social, and cultural factors involved. Signup and view all the answers

What primarily occurs during the babbling stage?

Combination of vowel and consonant sounds Signup and view all the answers

Which stage shows an infant's ability to mimic intonational patterns?

Echolalia stage Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately describes receptive language in infants?

Exceeds expressive language ability Signup and view all the answers

What role does maturation play in babbling?

It unfolds a biologically pre-specified developmental trajectory. Signup and view all the answers

What can deaf infants experience in terms of babbling?

They stop babbling altogether. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes the transitions between language acquisition stages?

They are gradual and predictable. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Reference Principle suggest about how children interpret words?

Words refer to specific objects and not other features. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Extendability Principle imply about children's understanding of words?

Words refer to classes of objects rather than a single instance. Signup and view all the answers

Which principle indicates that children initially believe a word refers to the whole object?

Whole-object Principle Signup and view all the answers

At what age do children typically start to exhibit turn-taking in communication?

18 months Signup and view all the answers

What is suggested about the way children learn the meaning of words?

They actively make associations between words and objects. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT part of the Reference Principle?

Words should correspond to actions. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following concepts refers to the relationship between language and its use for communication?

Pragmatics Signup and view all the answers

When do children start using shifting gaze to indicate the start and end of utterances?

By 18 months Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes children's development of word meanings?

They sometimes learn words before understanding concepts. Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of language do children engage with in terms of categorization according to the content?

They develop concepts about categories as they learn corresponding words. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary feature of sentences in early language development?

They consist of critical words. Signup and view all the answers

Around what age does the grammar explosion typically begin in children?

30 months Signup and view all the answers

What term describes the incorrect application of regular grammatical rules to irregular forms?

Overregularisation Signup and view all the answers

Which type of sentence structure do preschool children begin to use more frequently?

Conjunctions for combining ideas Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is least likely to be used by a child aged 5 years?

Passive sentences Signup and view all the answers

What age approximately signifies when most grammar learned will be used as an adult?

5 years Signup and view all the answers

How do children develop an understanding of word meanings?

Through combined sounds referring to actions or categories. Signup and view all the answers

What happens to sentence length as children progress in their language development?

It increases over time. Signup and view all the answers

Which feature of adult speech is mostly not used in early language development?

Inflections Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of overregularisation?

Saying 'sheeps' for plural of 'sheep' Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Language Acquisition Recap

Cross-sectional research studies different age groups simultaneously.
Longitudinal research follows the same children over time.

Stages of Language Acquisition

Language acquisition is influenced by biological, social, and cultural factors.
Children universally follow predictable stages, though timing varies.
Transitions between stages are gradual.

Pre-linguistic Stage

This stage precedes the use of first words (ages 0-12 months).
Infants are highly sensitive to speech sounds from birth, differentiating similar sounds.
Crying is the primary form of communication in early infancy.
Cooing, vowel sounds, begins around 2 months.
Babbling, combining vowels and consonants (e.g., "ba," "pa"), starts around 6 months.
Babbling is consistent across cultures, and likely a maturational process; infants stop babbling if they can't hear.

One-Word Stage

Children begin using words amid babbling, around age 12 months.
Early words are approximations, but consistent use signals a word.
Vocabulary expands rapidly (50 words at 18 months, 300 words by 24 months).
One-word stage vocabulary often includes general nominals (e.g., bottle), specific nominals (e.g., Fido), and action words (e.g., look).
Words are often context-dependent.
Holophrases: single words carrying various meanings based on context, tone, and additional cues.

Two-Word Stage (Grammar Development)

Children begin generating two-word sentences, marking syntax development.
This stage typically begins around 18 months.
Grammatical rules rapidly develop as the sentence length increases.
Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) quantifies average sentence length.
Vocabulary size significantly increases in this stage: around 300 words at age 2 years. Vocabulary continues to grow; it typically reaches an average of 13,000 words by age 6.

Later Grammar Development

Grammar explosion (around 30 months).
Sentence length and complexity increase, adding plurals, function words, and various sentence constructions.
Overregularization is common: applying regular rules to irregular exceptions (e.g., adding "-ed" to irregular verbs).
Children show that they are actually creating grammatical rules, not just replicating adult speech.
By age 5, most grammatical structures are usually in place.
Passive sentences are frequently misunderstood early on.

Word Meaning

Children make assumptions about word meanings.
Basic principles include: • Reference principle: Words refer to the object, not the context. • Extendability principle: Words apply to categories of objects. • Whole-object principle: Words refer to the whole object, not parts.
Active engagement in combining word and objects during learning.

Pragmatics

Pragmatics refers to the social use of language.
Turn-taking emerges around 18 months.
Audience design: Adjusting language for different listeners (e.g., "motherese").
Most pragmatic skills are developed by approximately 5 years old.

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Description

Explore the stages of language acquisition from infancy to early childhood. This quiz covers key concepts such as pre-linguistic and one-word stages, along with essential research methodologies in language development. Test your understanding of how biological, social, and cultural factors influence language learning.