Lecture 1 Introduction and Theories PDF

INTRODUCTION & LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT THEORIES Asrar Altuwariqi, M.S,CCC-SLP 1  OBJECTIVES What Is Language? Language as a Module of Human Cognition What are the Major Domains of Language? How Does Language Relate to Sp...

INTRODUCTION & LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT THEORIES Asrar Altuwariqi, M.S,CCC-SLP 1  OBJECTIVES What Is Language? Language as a Module of Human Cognition What are the Major Domains of Language? How Does Language Relate to Speech, Hearing, and Communication? Speech Hearing Communication Language theories 2  What Is Language? According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (1982) : Language is a “complex and dynamic system of conventional symbols that is used in various modes for thought and communication.” language is the rule-governed, code-based tool a person uses to represent thoughts and ideas. 3  LANGUAGE CONTINUE The specific characteristics of language identified in this definition: 1. Language Is a System of Symbols. it is a code, consisting of a system of symbols called morphemes. 2. The System of Language Is Conventional. the system of symbols is conventional, so the members of a community or culture can share it. 4  LANGUAGE CONTINUE 3. The Language System Is Dynamic. This means language is in a state of activity and change, both within an individual who is acquiring language and within a community that uses a certain language. 4. Language Is a Tool for Human Communication. 5  Language As A Module Of Human Cognition Beyond its role in supporting human communication, language is a cognitive tool that helps humans to develop the “picture of the world that we use for thinking” (Bickerton, 1995). 6 What Are The Major Domains Of Language? Form Content Syntax Semantic Morphology Vocabulary phonology knowledge of objects & events Use Pragmatic Bloom & Lahey (1978) 7  CONTINUE Form content Language that focuses on the immediate context is contextualized Decontextualized not relying on the immediate context, or sitting to convey content. Use 8  DISCUSSION POINT Too many people in the world are without food. We need a solution to the global food-shortage problem. Try to reason through a solution to this problem without using language. Is it possible? Can an individual engage in complex reasoning without language? 9  How Does Language Relate To Speech, Hearing, And Communication? Language, speech, hearing, and communication together represent basic and interrelated human abilities 10  DISCUSSION POINT Speech, hearing, communication, and language are distinct processes, although people often use the terms interchangeably. Before reading further, consider your definition for each, focusing on what differentiates the four processes. 11  Speech Speech describes the neuromuscular process by which humans turn language into a sound signal and transmit it through the air (or another medium such as a telephone line) to a receiver. Speech involves the precise activation of muscles in four systems: respiration, phonation, resonation, and articulation Speech provides the medium for sharing language 12  Speech Continue Model Of Speech Production 13  Speech Continue Relationship Of Speech To Language Speech and language are largely independent processes (locked-in syndrome) 14  Hearing Hearing, or audition, is the perception of sound, and it includes both general auditory perception and speech perception. Speech perception refers to how the brain processes speech and language. Speech perception is different from auditory perception, which is a more general term describing how the brain processes any type of auditory information. 15  Communication communication : the process of sharing information among two or more persons, usually differentiated as the sender (speaker) and the receiver(s) (listeners). communication involves four basic processes: formulation, transmission, reception, and comprehension. In addition to these basic processes is another aspect of communication: feedback. Feedback is information the receiver provides to the sender. the feedback system is what makes communication active and dynamic. 16 Model Of Communication 17 SUMMARY 18  What are the Major Domains of Language? Language-development theories Nature Versus Nurture 1. Generative, or Nativist, and LANGUAGE Universal grammar (Chomsky) THEORIES Modularity theory (Fodor) Bootstrapping theories 2. Interactionist Behavioral, Cognitivist, Social Constructivist 19  Who Studies Language Development? Scientists who conduct language-development research are from many disciplines, including psychology, linguistics, psycholinguistics, anthropology, speech–language pathology, education, and sociology. 20  DISCUSSION POINT Why are you studying language development? How might knowing about language development help you in your career? 21  Language-development Theories Language-development theories can be examined in the context of three questions: (a) What do infants bring to the task of language learning? (b) What mechanisms drive language acquisition? (c) What types of input support the language-learning system? 22  Nature Versus Nurture Nurture-inspired theories are often called empiricist theories, and they rest on the notion that humans gain all knowledge through experience. Nature-inspired theories, also called nativist theories, generally hold that much knowledge is innate and genetically transmitted rather than learned by experience. Most language-development theories lie somewhere between the nature and nurture ends of the continuum and assert that language development results from the interaction of a number of factors, including biological, social, cognitive, and linguistic factors. 23  Language Theories There are two primary approaches to language, representing nature and nurture, respectively: 1. Generative, or Nativist, and Universal grammar (Chomsky) Modularity theory (Fodor) Bootstrapping theories 2. Interactionist Behavioral, Cognitivist, Social Constructivist 24  1. Generative / Nativist approach This approach assumes that children are able to acquire language because they are born with innate rules or principles related to the structures of human languages (Chomsky, 1965a, 1965b; de Villiers, 2001; Lenneberg, 1967; Wexler, 1998, 2003;Yang, 2002). 25  Universal Grammar (Chomsky) Children are born with general grammatical rules and categories common to all languages Chomsky theorized the existence of one language module, called the language acquisition device. 26  Modularity Theory (Fodor) Modularity theory is a popular cognitive approach emphasizing the organization of the cognitive infrastructure of the brain as comprising a series of highly specified modules, including modules for various aspects of language processing. Language modules perform dedicated functions but can interact with one another to produce combinations of functions 27  Bootstrapping Theories Children use their knowledge of syntactic categories, word meanings, or the prosodic structure of language to make inferences about other aspects of language. Syntactic bootstrapping describes the process by which children use the syntactic frames surrounding unknown verbs to successfully constrain or limit the possible meanings of the verbs. Semantic bootstrapping children comprehend grammatical structures by using word meanings they acquire from observing events around them Prosodic bootstrapping it suggests infants use their sensitivity to the acoustic properties of speech (e.g., pitch, rhythm, pauses, stress) to make inferences about units of language, including clauses, phrases, and words. 28  2. Interactionalist Approach The Interactionalist approach emphasizes the influence of a combination of biological and environmental processes on language learning. Interactionalists consider the child to be an active contributing member in the learning process. The child and the language environment form a dynamic relationship. ❑child-directed speech (CDS)- adult speech adapted for use when speaking to a child, 29  Behavioral Learning Theory Behaviorists believe that learning occurs when new behaviors arise or there are changes in current behaviors. A behavior is influenced by what comes both before and after that behavior. Stimuli in the environment can cause a reaction and elicited behavior and responses to that behavior can either strengthen or weaken the behavior ❑ reinforcements increase the behavior ❑punishments decrease the behavior 30  Cognitivist Learning Theory Cognitivist theory is concerned with the thought process behind the behaviors. Suggest that humans don’t just respond to stimuli but rather process the information contained within. One important element of Piaget’s work is his emphasis on stages of learning and development. He viewed language as following the same stages he proposed for general cognitive development. Cognitive processing is governed by an internal process rather than by external circumstances as in behaviorism. 31  Social Constructivist Learning Theory Social constructivism is a theory in which knowledge is constructed within social contexts through interactions with a knowledge individual(s). Vygotsky -social interaction is fundamental to the process of cognitive development. The zone of proximal development (ZPD)- the easiest things for a child to learn are those closest or proximal to what he already knows. 32 QUESTIONS? 33