Chapter 1. How children learn language

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What characterizes early vocalizations in infants?

They include cooing, crying, and gurgling. (correct)

They consist only of speech sounds.

They begin to reflect intonation patterns of the language.

They are learned sounds specific to a language.

At what age do infants typically start babbling?

Around 6 months.

Around 1 year.

Around 7 months. (correct)

Around 1 month.

Which structure is NOT characteristic of babbling?

Word formations specific to a language. (correct)

Repeated syllables.

CVC (Consonant + Vowel + Consonant) combinations.

CV (Consonant + Vowel) combinations.

How do hearing and deaf infants differ in their vocalization progression?

Deaf infants vocalize but do not babble speech sounds. Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of babbling reflects the language an infant is exposed to?

The intonation patterns of the spoken language. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following sounds is typically absent in English infants' babbling?

Clicks found in Zulu. Signup and view all the answers

What type of babbling do infants exposed to sign language engage in?

Manual babbling. Signup and view all the answers

When does the transition from babbling to meaningful speech typically occur?

Around 1 year, but can vary. Signup and view all the answers

What type of reasoning do young children use when they analyze words and sentences, especially in the context of plurals?

Inductive reasoning Signup and view all the answers

In the cookie-sharing example, what is the premise that leads to the child's conclusion?

We should divide equally. Signup and view all the answers

How does the analysis presented challenge Piaget's theories?

It indicates that deductive logic can develop earlier than age six. Signup and view all the answers

What evidence suggests that Piaget's view on intelligence is flawed?

High intelligence can develop without physical interactions. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following domains is mentioned as having an impressive memory capacity in children?

Music and objects Signup and view all the answers

What does the term holophrastic describe in child language development?

Single words expressing complex thoughts Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of holophrastic speech?

Mama Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic feature of telegraphic speech?

Omission of non-essential words Signup and view all the answers

How do children typically convey complex ideas during the holophrastic stage?

Through single word utterances Signup and view all the answers

In the context of telegraphic speech, what does 'No sleep' signify?

I don't want to sleep Signup and view all the answers

What advantage does telegraphic speech provide in language development?

Allows for rapid combination of words Signup and view all the answers

What role does context play in interpreting holophrastic speech?

It can make interpretation easier Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a morpheme?

Unhappiness Signup and view all the answers

What do free morphemes signify?

They can stand alone as words Signup and view all the answers

What is a common interpretation challenge for caregivers regarding holophrastic speech?

Previous experiences of the child are crucial for interpretation Signup and view all the answers

Which statement is true about the order in which children learn morphemes, according to Roger Brown's study?

Some morphemes are acquired earlier than others Signup and view all the answers

When children produce utterances like 'Daddy run', what is reflected in their speech?

An understanding of agent-action relationships Signup and view all the answers

In telegraphic speech, why are function words often omitted?

They are less meaningful for children Signup and view all the answers

What is essential for a learner to produce speech?

Understanding speech first Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the relationship between thought and language acquisition?

Thought is fundamental to language acquisition. Signup and view all the answers

What does Parentese primarily focus on when communicating with young children?

Immediate observable events Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic is NOT typical of Parentese?

Use of complex vocabulary Signup and view all the answers

How does Baby Talk differ from standard Parentese?

It emphasizes proper name substitution. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately reflects the impact of limited exposure to language?

It contributes to poor language development. Signup and view all the answers

What role does experience play in speech comprehension?

It shapes the meanings derived from language. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common feature of Baby Talk?

Overly simplified vocabulary and syntax Signup and view all the answers

What language feature do caregivers typically NOT use when speaking in Parentese?

High vocabulary variety Signup and view all the answers

Which is an example of how children learn syntax?

By associating words with real-world actions Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary function of language according to the content?

To label and communicate thoughts Signup and view all the answers

What is meant by the term 'Agent–Action–Object' structure in language?

A relationship between the roles in a sentence. Signup and view all the answers

What impact do Chomsky's theories have on understanding language learning?

They suggest all language comes from innate knowledge. Signup and view all the answers

What type of speech is considered beneficial for young children according to research?

Parentese and Baby Talk Signup and view all the answers

What does the discontinuity theory suggest about babbling and speech?

Babbling and speech are distinct processes with different underlying mechanisms. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following sounds is considered an early acquired sound?

/m/ Signup and view all the answers

What primarily influences the order of consonant acquisition in children?

The visibility of the articulators used to produce them. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes the first words produced by children?

They usually refer to specific objects or people. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the relationship between vowel acquisition and articulatory complexity?

Front vowels are generally acquired earlier than back vowels. Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the critical factors influencing when a child starts saying their first words?

Development of mouth musculature. Signup and view all the answers

Why might a child overextend the meaning of a word?

They have an incomplete understanding of the words' meanings. Signup and view all the answers

In the context of sound acquisition, what is one reason why front consonants are generally easier for children to produce?

They require less motor control and are more visible. Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of chance in sound production during early speech development?

Children discover articulator-sound connections through experimental attempts. Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'holophrastic stage' refer to in early language development?

The use of single words to convey entire thoughts. Signup and view all the answers

Why are back vowels acquired later than front vowels?

Back vowels require more precise tongue positioning. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following exemplifies an early phonetically recognizable word?

"Da" referencing father's name. Signup and view all the answers

What impact does brain development have on the acquisition of speech sounds?

It facilitates the control of speech sounds in the cerebral cortex. Signup and view all the answers

What is a key aspect of the transition from babbling to intentional speech?

Children learn to connect sounds with meanings. Signup and view all the answers

What limitation does imitation have in the process of language learning?

It does not account for sentence construction. Signup and view all the answers

What type of words do children often create that cannot be explained by imitation?

Novel and ungrammatical words Signup and view all the answers

How do children typically learn exceptions to grammatical rules?

By eventually learning the exceptions after formulating rules. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of parents when responding to children's speech?

Upholding truthfulness or appropriateness Signup and view all the answers

What do children typically start learning first in language acquisition?

Concrete objects and actions Signup and view all the answers

What cognitive process is involved in learning abstract words according to the content?

Inferring meanings from context Signup and view all the answers

How does memory affect language learning in children?

It enables them to relate speech to their environment. Signup and view all the answers

What kind of errors do children make when applying grammatical rules?

Errors involving previously learned irregular forms Signup and view all the answers

What is a common misconception about the effectiveness of correction in language learning?

Correction often has a limited impact on younger children. Signup and view all the answers

What is one role of metaphorical language in understanding abstract concepts?

It connects familiar words to new meanings. Signup and view all the answers

Why might imitation be limited in helping children learn language?

It does not encompass abstract rule formation. Signup and view all the answers

What evidence shows the importance of memory in language processing?

Studies suggest memory problems hinder understanding of grammar. Signup and view all the answers

What challenge do children face when learning abstract words?

They must often infer meanings from indirect contexts. Signup and view all the answers

Which morpheme indicates ownership or association?

Possessive (-’s) Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary reason why the morpheme indicating ongoing action is learned early by children?

It has a distinct sound structure. Signup and view all the answers

At what stage of morpheme acquisition do children typically learn the past irregular forms?

Before past regular forms Signup and view all the answers

What primarily influences the order in which children acquire morphemes?

Ease of observability of the morpheme's referent Signup and view all the answers

Why are articles like 'a' and 'the' learned later than more observable morphemes?

They express abstract concepts. Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic makes the plural morpheme (-s) particularly easy for children to learn?

It has a regular structure. Signup and view all the answers

What type of morphemes are contractible auxiliaries considered during acquisition?

Abstract and phonetic indistinct Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the role of past regular morphemes?

They mark past tense for regular verbs. Signup and view all the answers

What is a key challenge in learning contractible copulas?

They have weak phonetic signals. Signup and view all the answers

Why might children learn plural morphemes before third-person forms?

Plural morphemes have observable quantities. Signup and view all the answers

Which of these morphemes requires an understanding of abstract grammatical roles?

Articles ('a', 'the') Signup and view all the answers

What is true about the order of morpheme acquisition?

It reflects universal aspects of language learning. Signup and view all the answers

Which morpheme is learned primarily through memorization rather than rule application?

Past Irregular Signup and view all the answers

When do children typically begin to learn to form negative sentences?

Once they understand auxiliary verbs Signup and view all the answers

At which stage of negation development do children start showing greater mastery of when to use 'do' versus when to omit it?

Stage 3: Advanced Negation Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the auxiliary verb 'do' when forming negative sentences?

It must be inserted when the main verb is not 'be' or a modal. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of Stage 1: Early Negation?

'No play that.' Signup and view all the answers

In what way do children in Stage 2 of negation typically express negative imperatives?

By treating contracted forms as single words. Signup and view all the answers

Which grammatical adjustment is often needed in negative sentences in English?

Changing 'some' to 'any' Signup and view all the answers

According to research on fetal development, which finding suggests fetuses can detect auditory patterns?

Fetuses' heart rates changed in response to familiarized sound sequences. Signup and view all the answers

In the context of speech comprehension, what significant ability do mute-hearing children demonstrate?

They develop comprehension independent from speech production. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common error that occurs in Stage 3 of negation development?

Tense misassignments when shifting tense from the verb to the auxiliary. Signup and view all the answers

What did Locke (1993) propose regarding the recognition of the mother's voice?

It is established in the first 12 hours after birth. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes the transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2 in negation?

The use of ‘no’ becomes more grammatical. Signup and view all the answers

Which factor affects how sounds reach a fetus in the uterine environment?

The liquid medium distorting the speech sounds. Signup and view all the answers

What error tends to persist in children even after mastering negation rules?

Tense reassignment errors. Signup and view all the answers

What indicates that children have achieved Stage 3 in negation development?

Correctly forming negative imperatives with auxiliary 'do'. Signup and view all the answers

During which stage do children display lack of grammatical consistency, such as missing subject-verb agreement?

Stage 2: Internal Negation Signup and view all the answers

What does the case of Anne McDonald demonstrate about language comprehension?

Assistive communication technology can facilitate expression of complex thoughts. Signup and view all the answers

At what age can infants start recognizing specific words according to studies?

As early as six months. Signup and view all the answers

What did the Huttenlocher study reveal about young children's language abilities?

Children can understand object names and complex commands without being able to produce them. Signup and view all the answers

What is highlighted by the Sachs and Truswell study regarding children's speech development?

Children can understand multi-word syntactic structures even if they are in one-word production stage. Signup and view all the answers

What implication arises from the finding that children can read before they can speak?

Comprehension develops prior to production even in literacy contexts. Signup and view all the answers

What does the existence of the comprehension-production gap imply for language learning?

Cognitive abilities for comprehension lay the foundation for later speech production. Signup and view all the answers

Why is there a relative paucity of comprehension studies compared to production studies?

Assessing comprehension involves complex and subjective measures. Signup and view all the answers

What does repeated exposure to speech sounds imply for language acquisition?

It does not equate to meaningful use or understanding of language. Signup and view all the answers

What differentiates meaningful use of language from mere repetition?

Meaningful use must be contextually appropriate. Signup and view all the answers

How does the case of Rie contribute to our understanding of language comprehension?

Comprehension can be developed independently of speech production capabilities. Signup and view all the answers

Why is comprehension critical for the foundation of language development in children?

Comprehension enables children to learn and use language meaningfully. Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary finding of the Huttenlocher study regarding children's understanding of possessive distinctions?

Comprehension of possessive distinctions exceeded their production capabilities. Signup and view all the answers

What does the additional context around 'neko' illustrate about language learning?

Exposure without context is ineffective for comprehension. Signup and view all the answers

How do children typically progress in their language acquisition?

Children understand concepts before they are able to express them verbally. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Speech Production Development

Infants begin with non-speech sounds (crying, cooing, gurgling) that are universal and innate.
Babbling emerges around 7 months, characterized by reduplicated syllables (e.g., "baba") and CV (consonant-vowel) and CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) structures.
Babbling is initially universal but gradually reflects the language environment, showing intonation and stress patterns.
Deaf infants show vocalization but lack speech-like babbling, unless exposed to sign language, where they exhibit manual babbling.
Transition from babbling to first words occurs around 1 year old, with individual variations. Some babbling sounds are lost and relearned during speech.
Sounds are acquired in a predictable order, starting with front consonants (e.g., /p/, /m/) that involve visible articulators and are easier to produce. Back consonants (e.g., /k/) and vowels (e.g., /a/) are typically acquired later.
Phoneme: A class of sounds in a language, e.g., /p/ at the beginning and end of "pep" are considered the same phoneme.
Continuity vs. Discontinuity: Some researchers propose a direct link between babbling and speech; others believe they are distinct processes.

Early Speech Stages

Naming (one-word utterances):
- Average age for first words is 10-12 months, but ranges greatly.
- A recognizable speech form associated with an object or event (e.g., "mama" for mother) is considered a first word.
- Physical (mouth musculature) and brain development (speech areas) are factors influencing first words.
- Children may overextend or use words incorrectly, gradually refining their use.
Holophrastic function: Single words used to express complex thoughts. They use words to request, express possession, describe, or communicate memories, despite omitting grammatical elements, relying on context.
Telegraphic speech (two- to three-word utterances): Two-word utterances typically appear around 18-24 months. They omit function words (e.g., articles, prepositions, auxiliary verbs) but focus on content words. This provides demonstrations of Agent-Action and other semantic relationships (location, possession, negation).
Morpheme acquisition: Morphemes are the smallest meaningful units of language.
Brown's study shows a consistent sequence for acquiring English morphemes (e.g., present progressive, articles, plurals, past tense).
- Acquisition order is influenced by observability, meaningfulness, and sound distinctiveness.
The process demonstrates an understanding of grammar and function words, gradually progressing from simple to complex sentence structures.

Speech Comprehension

Fetuses might perceive speech sounds but may have difficulty distinguishing them due to the uterine environment.
Studies show newborns show preference for their mother's voice.
Comprehension occurs before production in normal development, with comprehension of complex structures often exceeding production abilities.
Studies by Huttenlocher, Sachs and Truswell, and Steinberg & Steinberg demonstrate that comprehension precedes production, even in scenarios involving multifaceted syntactic structures and literacy-related comprehension.
Current research shows a limited number of comprehension studies, highlighting a gap in understanding this vital aspect of language acquisition.

Speech, Thought, and Language

Speech comprehension is a essential precursor to speech production.
Understanding language relies on associating sounds with experiences and concepts.
Thought is fundamental to language, with the concept preceding the language used to express and communicate it.

Parentese and Baby Talk

Parentese (Motherese, Child-Directed Speech, Adult-to-Child Language) is the specialized language used by adults when speaking to children.
It's characterized by simplified vocabulary, short sentences, repetition, high pitch, exaggerated intonation, and contextual immediacy.
Baby Talk is a form of parentese characterized by simplified grammar, sound imitations, and repeated use of basic word structures.
Studies suggest a small but positive effect on language acquisition, especially for younger children.

Imitation, Rule Learning, and Correction

Imitation plays a limited role in language learning, primarily in developing articulation, not comprehension or abstract rule formation.
Children create novel expressions, demonstrating creative rule creation and application. However, the application of these rules can sometimes lead to errors, especially with irregular forms.
Correction is often ineffective since children initially self-correct.
Grammar learning is mainly driven by self-recognition, understanding of context, and immersion in accurate speech within the environment.

Abstract Words and Memory

Children first learn concrete words and actions, then move through relational terms and mental experiences toward abstract concepts.
Learning abstract words involves connecting them to contextual clues and prior experience, with metaphor aiding comprehension.
Memory is fundamental to language learning; it's crucial for retaining language data, creating rules, and associating speech with experiences.

Logic in Language Learning

Children use both inductive (observing patterns) and deductive (making inferences) reasoning to acquire language and develop grammatical concepts.
These logical skills are shown in early development which contradicts traditional theories that posit a later development in the use of logic and higher thought processes, showcasing the earlier development of complex thinking capabilities and abilities.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

Explore the key stages of speech production development in infants, from the early non-speech sounds to the transition into babbling and the first words. This quiz highlights the characteristics of babbling, the impact of language exposure, and the predictable order of sound acquisition. Understand the differences in speech development among hearing and deaf infants.