Podcast
Questions and Answers
Which of the following is a main focus of the chapter on language development?
Which of the following is a main focus of the chapter on language development?
What is one of the sections included in the chapter outline regarding language development?
What is one of the sections included in the chapter outline regarding language development?
Which aspect of development is explicitly mentioned in relation to language in the chapter outline?
Which aspect of development is explicitly mentioned in relation to language in the chapter outline?
What does the 'Process of Language Acquisition' section likely explore?
What does the 'Process of Language Acquisition' section likely explore?
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Which of the following is least likely to be a topic discussed in this chapter on language development?
Which of the following is least likely to be a topic discussed in this chapter on language development?
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What is the term used to describe the smallest units of meaningful sound in a language?
What is the term used to describe the smallest units of meaningful sound in a language?
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Which component of language refers to the ability to express thoughts through speaking, signing, or writing?
Which component of language refers to the ability to express thoughts through speaking, signing, or writing?
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What defines a generative language system?
What defines a generative language system?
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What term refers to the smallest units of meaning in a language?
What term refers to the smallest units of meaning in a language?
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Which of the following is NOT a function of language comprehension?
Which of the following is NOT a function of language comprehension?
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How do symbols function in language?
How do symbols function in language?
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What is an essential requirement for developing language skills?
What is an essential requirement for developing language skills?
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Which choice correctly distinguishes between phonemes and morphemes?
Which choice correctly distinguishes between phonemes and morphemes?
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What does the term 'prosody' refer to in speech perception?
What does the term 'prosody' refer to in speech perception?
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What is 'categorical perception' in the context of speech sounds?
What is 'categorical perception' in the context of speech sounds?
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What does 'voice onset time' (VOT) signify in speech perception?
What does 'voice onset time' (VOT) signify in speech perception?
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How do infants show the ability related to categorical perception of speech sounds?
How do infants show the ability related to categorical perception of speech sounds?
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What does 'word segmentation' involve in speech processing?
What does 'word segmentation' involve in speech processing?
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What phenomenon occurs when children incorrectly apply regular grammatical rules to irregular words?
What phenomenon occurs when children incorrectly apply regular grammatical rules to irregular words?
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At what age do children typically begin to produce narratives that describe past events?
At what age do children typically begin to produce narratives that describe past events?
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What is the term for speech directed toward oneself during cognitive tasks?
What is the term for speech directed toward oneself during cognitive tasks?
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Which of the following best describes children's conversations involving non sequiturs?
Which of the following best describes children's conversations involving non sequiturs?
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What does pragmatic development help children learn about language?
What does pragmatic development help children learn about language?
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Which aspect of language acquisition involves recognizing patterns to apply to novel words?
Which aspect of language acquisition involves recognizing patterns to apply to novel words?
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What type of skills are developed through pragmatic development in children?
What type of skills are developed through pragmatic development in children?
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Which of the following statements about children's language development is correct?
Which of the following statements about children's language development is correct?
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What is infant-directed speech (IDS)?
What is infant-directed speech (IDS)?
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How do bilingual infants learn languages in comparison to monolingual infants?
How do bilingual infants learn languages in comparison to monolingual infants?
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Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of infant-directed speech?
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of infant-directed speech?
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What advantage do bilingual infants have over monolingual infants?
What advantage do bilingual infants have over monolingual infants?
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What does the term 'code switching' refer to in the context of bilingual infants?
What does the term 'code switching' refer to in the context of bilingual infants?
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In what ways do bilingual infants demonstrate their language abilities?
In what ways do bilingual infants demonstrate their language abilities?
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What role does cultural context play in language acquisition?
What role does cultural context play in language acquisition?
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What is the primary process through which language is acquired according to the content?
What is the primary process through which language is acquired according to the content?
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What strategy involves using grammatical structure to infer the meaning of words within sentences?
What strategy involves using grammatical structure to infer the meaning of words within sentences?
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Which of the following statements is true regarding infants and technology?
Which of the following statements is true regarding infants and technology?
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What type of speech do most children use by the end of their second year, characterized by short utterances?
What type of speech do most children use by the end of their second year, characterized by short utterances?
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What is cross-situational word learning primarily concerned with?
What is cross-situational word learning primarily concerned with?
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Which of the following best describes telegraphic speech?
Which of the following best describes telegraphic speech?
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What negative impact can adult device usage have on child learning?
What negative impact can adult device usage have on child learning?
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Which learning approach is NOT beneficial for infants, according to the information provided?
Which learning approach is NOT beneficial for infants, according to the information provided?
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At what age do most children start to combine words into simple sentences?
At what age do most children start to combine words into simple sentences?
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Study Notes
Language Development
- Language development involves systems for representing thoughts, feelings, and knowledge, and for communication.
- Language comprehension is understanding what others say, sign, or write.
- Language production is speaking, signing, or writing.
- Language involves symbols, which represent thoughts, emotions, and knowledge, to communicate with others.
Sociocultural Context
- Genes and environment interact to form language.
- Socio-cultural context plays a crucial role in language development.
Components of Language (part 1)
- Language is generative; a finite set of words can be combined to create infinite sentences.
- Phonemes are the smallest meaningful sounds.
- Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning composed of phonemes.
Components of Language (part 2)
- Syntax are rules for combining words from different categories (noun, verb, adjective, etc.).
- Pragmatics are knowledge of how language is used.
- Dialects are forms of languages specific to regions or social groups, like American Sign Language (ASL).
What is Required for Language? (part 1)
- A human brain is required for language; it's a species-specific and species-universal ability.
- Non-human primate and non-primate forms of communication are possible. Examples include Washoe, Koko, Kanzi, Rico, and Alex.
What is Required for Language? (part 2)
- Brain-language lateralization is where language learning is processed in the left hemisphere of the brain for about 90% of right-handed people.
- The period of early childhood (until approximately age 5) is considered a sensitive period for language learning.
What is Required for Language? (part 3)
- Infants have auditory preferences that are refined through language exposure.
- Infant-directed speech (IDS) is a distinctive mode of speech that is used by virtually all cultures, preferred by infants, and includes distinctive pitch variability, slower speech, shorter utterances, more word repetition, and more questions.
Two Languages are Better Than One
- Bilingual infants learn two languages at the same pace as monolingual infants.
- Bilingual infants have vocabulary distributed across two languages.
- Bilingual infants perform better on measures of cognitive control.
The Process of Language Acquisition
- Language is learned from listening and speaking, or from watching and signing.
- Comprehending the communication of others, Producing intelligible speech (or signs), and paying attention to the communication of others are necessary for language acquisition.
Speech Perception
- Prosody is the rhythm, tempo, cadence, melody, and intonation of a language.
- Categorical perception is how speech sounds are perceived as belonging to discrete categories.
- Voice onset time (VOT) refers to the time between when air passes through the lips and when the vocal cords vibrate.
- Word segmentation is discovering where words begin and end in fluent speech.
- Distributional properties are the likelihood of sounds appearing together in any language.
Word Segmentation
- Infants learn to segment words from fluent speech during the second half of the first year.
- Infants identify the patterns in the surrounding speech and focus on sounds in their native language.
- They use predictable sound patterns to identify words in speech streams.
Preparation for Production (part 1)
- Infants babble, producing syllables like "pa," "ba," and "ma," from about 6 to 10 months of age.
- Babbling involves strings of consonants followed by vowels. (e.g. "mamama")
- Babbling may involve hand movements for sign language learners.
Preparation for Production (part 2)
- Early interactions and babbling lay the groundwork for language.
- Parent-infant interactions facilitate learning.
- Intersubjectivity is the shared mutual understanding in interactions.
First Words (part 1)
- Babies demonstrate word recognition earlier than word production.
- Adults may underestimate word comprehension in young children.
- Context assists older children in recognizing words.
First Words (part 2)
- Overextension is using a word too broadly (e.g., "dog" for all four-legged animals).
- Underextension is using a word too narrowly (e.g., "dog" only for their own dog).
- First words are typically produced between 10 and 15 months of age, and often refer to family members, pets, and objects nearby.
The Earliest Words
- Lists of common early words in English and Mandarin/Cantonese are provided.
Language Development and Socioeconomic Status
- Children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds typically hear and use a larger variety of words compared to those in lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Research on the impact of socioeconomic status on language development highlights disparities in vocabulary exposure.
- Variations in parental input, input quality, and environment can influence language development.
First Words (part 3)
- Word learning involves adult and child influences, including talking and naming objects in play.
- Spatial consistency aids learning word association (e.g., observing the location of an object and the word associated).
- Context and situations play a role in word learning.
First Words (part 4)
- Mutual exclusivity is the assumption an object only has one name.
- Whole-object assumption is the assumption a word refers to an entire object instead of a part.
- Pragmatic cues are using social and contextual clues to learn words.
Pragmatic Cues and Mutual Exclusivity
- Word meanings can be learned through cross-situational cues (correlation of word with meaning in different scenarios).
- Using the grammatical structure of sentences to learn a new word is known as syntactic bootstrapping.
Technology and Language Learning
- Active interaction with people, even virtually, is beneficial to learning language.
- Live video chats are most appropriate for infants under two years old.
- Excessive screen time can potentially distract from effective learning opportunities.
Putting Words Together (part 1)
- Two-word utterances (telegraphic speech) emerge towards the end of the second year.
- These utterances typically contain the essential words, omitting less pivotal words.
Putting Words Together (part 2)
- Children master regular patterns in language and apply them to new words.
- Over-regularization is a common language error in which children apply regular rules to irregular words.
Conversational Skills (part 1)
- Children engage in collective monologues or conversations that are not necessarily connected.
- Speech directed to oneself (private speech) is observed in children.
Conversational Skills (part 2)
- Pragmatic development helps children adapt to how language is used in conversational settings.
- Children learn to comprehend conversations and make appropriate responses.
Later Development
- Language abilities continue to grow through childhood.
- Significant advancements in vocabulary and grammar occur in middle childhood and adolescence.
- Vocabulary size continues to increase throughout school years and into adulthood.
Chomsky and the Nativist View
- The nativist perspective proposes that humans are born with an innate understanding of universal grammar.
- Chomsky's theory contrasts with Skinner's behavioral approach to language learning.
- Both theories provide important insights into the complex process of language development.
Ongoing Debates in Language Development
- There is ongoing debate regarding the nature versus nurture aspects of language development.
- The impact of both an individual's inherent traits (nature) and the environment (nurture) needs to be understood.
Nonlinguistic Symbols and Development
- Symbols are used for information and dual representation.
- Early childhood and cross-cultural research shows the importance of how symbols are used in interactions.
Scale-Model Task
- The findings of the scale model task demonstrate young children's ability to use symbols as information sources.
Drawing and Writing
- Children's drawings and writing are considered symbolic activities.
- Artistic and communicative impulses enhance drawing and relate to general developmental stages.
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Description
Explore the intricacies of language development, including comprehension and production, and how socio-cultural contexts influence these processes. This quiz covers key components like phonemes, morphemes, syntax, and pragmatics to enhance your understanding of language.
