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Questions and Answers
What do constructivists argue regarding children's language acquisition?
What do constructivists argue regarding children's language acquisition?
What is a theoretical problem associated with Universal Grammar (UG)?
What is a theoretical problem associated with Universal Grammar (UG)?
Based on the content, how does bilingualism complicate the understanding of language parameters?
Based on the content, how does bilingualism complicate the understanding of language parameters?
What do naturalistic data studies suggest about children's language knowledge?
What do naturalistic data studies suggest about children's language knowledge?
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Which statement accurately reflects a feature of children's language learning as indicated in studies?
Which statement accurately reflects a feature of children's language learning as indicated in studies?
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In which language is the word order typically Object-Verb?
In which language is the word order typically Object-Verb?
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What does the concept of Universal Grammar primarily help explain?
What does the concept of Universal Grammar primarily help explain?
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What is an indication that children understand word order?
What is an indication that children understand word order?
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In which language is the subject often optional as per the content?
In which language is the subject often optional as per the content?
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What empirical evidence supports the principles and parameters theory?
What empirical evidence supports the principles and parameters theory?
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What age did studies suggest children can recognize Subject-Verb-Object sentence structures?
What age did studies suggest children can recognize Subject-Verb-Object sentence structures?
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Which of the following is NOT a parameter setting discussed?
Which of the following is NOT a parameter setting discussed?
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What do preferential looking studies primarily measure in children?
What do preferential looking studies primarily measure in children?
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What do nativist approaches assume about children's language acquisition?
What do nativist approaches assume about children's language acquisition?
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Which term is associated with the innate linguistic capability proposed in nativist theories?
Which term is associated with the innate linguistic capability proposed in nativist theories?
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What is one assumption of 'maturation' accounts of language acquisition?
What is one assumption of 'maturation' accounts of language acquisition?
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What is meant by 'the linking problem' in relation to language acquisition?
What is meant by 'the linking problem' in relation to language acquisition?
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Which statement best represents a strength of nativist approaches?
Which statement best represents a strength of nativist approaches?
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What do nativists believe about children's utterances?
What do nativists believe about children's utterances?
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According to nativist theories, how do children create sentences?
According to nativist theories, how do children create sentences?
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Which theory posits that children learn language patterns from their environment?
Which theory posits that children learn language patterns from their environment?
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What is a common criticism of nativist approaches?
What is a common criticism of nativist approaches?
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How do nativists explain children's observation of adult word order?
How do nativists explain children's observation of adult word order?
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What does the concept of Universal Grammar refer to?
What does the concept of Universal Grammar refer to?
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What do constructivists believe about children's generalizations in language?
What do constructivists believe about children's generalizations in language?
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What is a key assumption of nativist approaches to language acquisition?
What is a key assumption of nativist approaches to language acquisition?
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Which example best supports the Constructivist perspective on language acquisition?
Which example best supports the Constructivist perspective on language acquisition?
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What does the term 'Principles & Parameters' refer to in the context of nativist theories?
What does the term 'Principles & Parameters' refer to in the context of nativist theories?
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What do constructivists argue about the role of frequency in language input?
What do constructivists argue about the role of frequency in language input?
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What do nativist approaches suggest about children's early multiword utterances?
What do nativist approaches suggest about children's early multiword utterances?
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What is a key characteristic of continuity accounts in language development?
What is a key characteristic of continuity accounts in language development?
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According to Radford's maturational model, what characterizes the Lexical Stage of development?
According to Radford's maturational model, what characterizes the Lexical Stage of development?
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At which age does the Functional Stage of language development typically occur according to Radford?
At which age does the Functional Stage of language development typically occur according to Radford?
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What transformation occurs during the transition from the Lexical Stage to the Functional Stage?
What transformation occurs during the transition from the Lexical Stage to the Functional Stage?
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What do maturational models suggest about the development of Universal Grammar (UG) in children?
What do maturational models suggest about the development of Universal Grammar (UG) in children?
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What evidence supports the view that children do not start with full innate knowledge according to maturational models?
What evidence supports the view that children do not start with full innate knowledge according to maturational models?
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Which of the following components are children's utterances missing at the Lexical Stage?
Which of the following components are children's utterances missing at the Lexical Stage?
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What do nativist approaches primarily claim about children's language acquisition?
What do nativist approaches primarily claim about children's language acquisition?
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What is Semantic Bootstrapping proposed to explain?
What is Semantic Bootstrapping proposed to explain?
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What is the Linking Problem in language acquisition?
What is the Linking Problem in language acquisition?
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Which account assumes that parts of the grammatical system activate at various developmental stages?
Which account assumes that parts of the grammatical system activate at various developmental stages?
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What evidence raises questions about the existence of innate abstract knowledge in children?
What evidence raises questions about the existence of innate abstract knowledge in children?
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What do continuity accounts suggest about children's grammatical knowledge?
What do continuity accounts suggest about children's grammatical knowledge?
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What type of examination format will be used to assess the material covered in this lecture?
What type of examination format will be used to assess the material covered in this lecture?
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What distinguishes innate grammar from gradual learning in the context of language acquisition?
What distinguishes innate grammar from gradual learning in the context of language acquisition?
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Study Notes
Early Multi-Word Speech: Nativist Approaches
- Nativist (generativist) approaches contrast with constructivist approaches
- Nativists believe children are born with innate language acquisition mechanisms (Language Acquisition Device, or Universal Grammar), enabling them to learn language
- Steven Pinker's research supports Universal Grammar, highlighting children's use of language rules and generalizations from the start of speech
- Early language development demonstrates observable similarities to adult language.
Learning Objectives
- Students should outline the assumptions of nativist accounts of language acquisition
- They should outline the assumptions of maturation accounts which explain language acquisition
- They should describe and explain the linking problem, providing one proposed solution
- Students must evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of nativist approaches.
Lecture Structure
- Part A: Background on nativist vs constructivist approaches
- Part B: Examining nativist approaches to language acquisition, focusing on Principles & Parameters (P&P)
- Part C: Discussing maturational models of language acquisition.
- Part D: Identifying and analyzing the linking problem
Nativist Assumptions
- Grammar is a symbolic computational system processing relationships between abstract variables
- Grammatical categories and rules are innate, present from birth (Universal Grammar)
- The acquisition of grammar is an all-or-nothing process where assimilated items inherit category privileges
- Examples include how, as soon as 'cat' is understood as a noun, it immediately adopts the privileges of other nouns
General Predictions
- Children should acquire innately specified aspects of grammar very early
- Children exhibit consistent treatment of members within the same grammatical category,
The Nature of UG: Principles & Parameters
- All possible language rules are innate to humans
- Grammar is universal
- Differences in grammar across languages stem from parameter settings
Examples of Parameter Settings
- Word order (e.g., Verb-Object vs. Object-Verb in English and Japanese)
- Subject use (obligatory vs. optional in different languages)
Theoretical Advantages of UG
- Solves the problem of explaining complex grammatical rule acquisition across languages
- Offers a unified theory of acquisition across languages, explaining how those languages differ
Empirical Evidence for Principles & Parameters
- Children's early utterances typically adhere to adult word order, suggesting relevant parameters are set
- Early language production (e.g., "allgone sticky") displays evidence of grammatical rules
- Studies on comprehension (e.g. looking/pointing tasks), particularly when using known words but not with unfamiliar ones, also support these ideas
- Children at 18-24 months are capable of identifying the correct pictures to match subject-verb-object sentences
Theoretical Problems for UG
- Parameters are not clearly specified; the exact number and nature remain uncertain
- The details of which aspects of language are encoded by parameters are likewise uncertain
- The potential of incorrect parameter setting is not addressed
- Explanations for bilingualism and other language learning complications are not addressed
Empirical Evidence against P&P
- Children show restricted SVO word order knowledge in production and act-out tasks
- Naturalistic studies reveal partial knowledge of specifically lexical grammatical categories, such as verbs, auxiliaries, and determiners
- The relationship between children's input, frequency, and learning of grammatical structures is well supported in numerous studies
Interim Summary
- Nativists explain early multi-word utterances through an emphasis on their similarities to adult language
- Nativists discuss how grammatical rules are presented from the beginning
- Maturational accounts attempt to explain the development of language while maintaining the existence of innate knowledge
Part C: Maturational Models
- Children's language evolves over time, suggesting initial language structures aren't wholly innate but mature over time
- One model proposes that a portion of Universal Grammar matures over a biologically determined timescale
Radford's (1990) Maturational Model
- Children's earliest stages of speech primarily utilize content words (nouns, verbs, etc.)
- At around 24 months, more complex grammatical components, such as auxiliary verbs, indicators, and inflections, begin to appear
Distinct Stages of Development
- Tables listing lexical (early) and functional (later) utterances present in young children illustrate speech maturation stages
Theoretical Advantages & Evidence
- Maturational models explain why early utterances are often not grammatically complete
- The approach is compatible with empirical data due to its allowance for development over time
- Language development trajectories in other groups (e.g. deaf/blind) are similar to typically-developing children
Theoretical & Empirical Problems
- Identifying precise developmental points where grammatical mechanisms become functional is difficult
- Early stages of language use show some grammatical functions, however, the consistency and prevalence vary across languages
- Children's use of many functional words (e.g. auxiliaries and quantifiers) related to lexical frames becomes apparent around the time of their 24th month
Interim Summary
- UG approaches claim innate abstract grammar but explain development in terms of biological maturation.
- The issue of how grammatical development and experience interact is examined.
Part D: The Linking Problem
- Explores how children connect knowledge of grammatical categories with encountered words/language
- Caregivers often do not label specific grammar elements (nouns, verbs) with words
- This problem demands a connection between innate grammatical structure and observed language
A Proposed Solution - Semantic Bootstrapping
- Based on the idea children utilize semantic (meaning) knowledge to link input words to innate syntactic categories guided by innate linking rules.
- Children relate word meanings to innate grammatical categories using semantic understanding.
Relations Between Grammatical Categories & Meaning
- Tables mapping words (e.g., dog, kick, car) to their corresponding grammatical categories.
Examples of Linking Rules Between Meaning & Syntax
- Word/utterance meaning is related to grammatical categories in tables
- Linking rules match semantic roles (agent, patient; word roles) to word positions
How Does Linking Work?
- An example of how linking innate linguistic knowledge and input can determine word order
Grammatical Categories
- Tables illustrate the categories of words (e.g., want, idea, think, see, problem, pain) and their grammatical classifications
The Problem of Passives
- Passive voice in language presents challenges for semantic bootstrapping
- Certain grammatical structures may be challenging for younger children to interpret or produce semantically.
Interim Summary
- Nativists' approaches claim innate abstract Universal Grammar but encounter challenges in explaining how children map words onto grammatical categories using empirical data.
Overall Summary
- Nativist accounts introduce the idea of innate knowledge in language learning.
- Continuity accounts posit innate grammatical knowledge present from the beginning.
- Maturational accounts describe grammatical structures maturing gradually over time
- Linking innate knowledge to input is addressed with semantic bootstrapping
Critical Evaluation
- The improved comprehension performance in children, when compared to production, warrants examination for evidence of innate abstract knowledge.
- Differentiating between innate grammar maturation and gradual learning is vital.
- Neuroscience aspects of representing innate grammar should be explored.
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Description
Explore the nativist theories of language acquisition in early multi-word speech. This quiz delves into the principles of Universal Grammar and contrasts them with constructivist approaches. Assess your understanding of maturation accounts and the linking problem in language development.
