Class OutlineTypical language developmentSupporting early language learningWhat is LOST as skills are GAINEDOverlap between language and motor developmentTypical Language developmentLanguage exposure in utero:Distorted auditory signal;Fetal heart rate varies depending upon language stimulation;Prenatal learning is useful (especially for learning intonation patterns), but not essentialTypical language developmentStages of early language development1. Vegetative sounds (0-6 weeks)crying, coughing2. Cooing (6 weeks)3. Vocal Play (16 weeks-6 months)experiment with vocal mechanism4. Babbling (6-10 months)Reduplicated “babababa”Variegated “bamido”5. Single-word utterances (10-18months) (12 month)6. Two-word utterances (18 months)7. Telegraphic speech (2 years)Mommy give milk8. Full sentences (2.5 years)Typical Language DevelopmentResearch methods:How do we know what infants know?Non-nutritive suck paradigm;Habituation with sucking rate testHead-turn testing procedureInfants who receive the most encouragement, acknowledgement of their utterances, questions, and direction of their attention, tend to learn fasterProsodiesTrochaic: words with a strong-weak patternFlower, window, science“trochaic bias” infants can be fooled by a bisyllabic iambic word and a function word (“guitar is” or “surprise in”interpret as “taris” and “prisein”)Iambic: words with a weak-strong patternGiraffe, paradeEmergence of early words:Dependent upon children’s conceptual developmentCues may be based on syntax, domain of discourse, or contextHow is language learned?Innate accounts:Chomsky and Universal Grammar;“A visiting Martian would surely conclude…” (Pinker, 1994, p. 232)Evidence for a strong biological drive: pidgins and creoles;Problems with this accountEmpiricist accounts:Imitation of adultsConditioning and reinforcementProblems with this accountpoverty of the stimulusWhich comes first: form or meaning?FormArtificial language studies: “gatiga… li na li… wo few o” then surprised when pattern changes “wo fefe”.Statistical Learning: “prettybaby” is not divided into “tyba”They hear pretty baby, pretty on its own, baby on its own, but never tyba, so they learn the wordsYoung children may acquire gender inflections very earlyOther languagesMeaningA small lexicon may come firstNouns and verbs may not always be the easiest/earliestSupporting early language LearningChild-directed speech:Exaggerates different clauses, highlights word and sentence boundaries, more clearly marks prosody, speaks more slowly, higher pitch, phonological simplificationVariability in learning:Variability in talker, rate, and contextAlgebra exampleWhat is LOST as skills as GAINED?Native language neural commitment:Around 8-11 months (depending on the particular study), infants lose the ability to discriminate between sounds which are not in their ambient languageDiscrimination task: are these two sounds different?Children go through a period of regressionU-shaped function…Performance is good: the child has learned specific instancesPerformance is poor: the child has learned a rule and applies it to all casesPerformance is good: the child has learned the exceptions to the ruleForeshadowing… stay tuned!Learning how to read fundamentally influences one’s processing of SPOKEN, as well as WRITTEN, language!Frith (1998): “one might liken the possession of an alphabetic code to a virus. This virus infects all speech processing, as now whole word sounds are automatically broken up into sound constituents. Language is never the same again”Another U-shaped function: logographic stage; alphabetic stage; automatic readingOverlap between language and motor development“Language production, whether spoken, signed, or written, is a motor activity” (Zelaznik…InfantsCoordinated their gazes, facial expressions, and vocalizationsRhythmic limb movements (shaking and banging) co-occur with rhythmic speech production (reduplicated babbling);Gestures/pointing guide joint attention, which facilitates object-word correspondencesChildren take their first steps at about the same time as they say their first wordsToddlers:As first words are produced, gestures which show recognition of the object’s meaning (ie. Putting an empty cup to the lips) emerge;Gesture-word combinations (ie. Reaching arms toward mother and saying “up”) convey the same meaning as earliest two-word combinationsSigned languages’ similarities to spoken languages:Child-directed speech involves repeating signs, exaggerating their productions and slowing one’s rateDeaf infants also babble, indicating that babbling may be universalBabies exposed to signed languages babble with their handson…CSD 3112 1st EditionLecture 8Outline of Last Lecture I. Cognitive Revolutiona. Rules of languageII. ConnectionismIII. Fundamental Concepta. What is itb. Model vs theoryIV. SummaryOutline of Current Lecture V. Typical Language developmenta. Research methodsb. ProsodiesVI. Supporting early language learningVII. What is Lost as skills are gained?VIII. Overlap between language and motor developmentCurrent Lecture: First language acquisition Class Outline- Typical language development- Supporting early language learning- What is LOST as skills are GAINED- Overlap between language and motor developmentThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Typical Language development- Language exposure in utero:o Distorted auditory signal;o Fetal heart rate varies depending upon language stimulation;o Prenatal learning is useful (especially for learning intonation patterns), but not essential Typical language development- Stages of early language developmento 1. Vegetative sounds (0-6 weeks) crying, coughingo 2. Cooing (6 weeks)o 3. Vocal Play (16 weeks-6 months) experiment with vocal mechanismo 4. Babbling (6-10 months) Reduplicated “babababa” Variegated “bamido”o 5. Single-word utterances (10-18months) (12 month)o 6. Two-word utterances (18 months)o 7. Telegraphic speech (2 years) Mommy give milko 8. Full sentences (2.5 years) Typical Language Development- Research methods:o How do we know what infants know? Non-nutritive suck paradigm; Habituation with sucking rate test Head-turn testing procedureo Infants who receive the most encouragement, acknowledgement of their utterances,