Psych 56L/ Ling 51: Acquisition of LanguageAnnouncementsChildhood BilingualismDevelopment Trajectory Data: Monolingual vs. Simultaneous BilingualSlide 5Slide 6Sequential Bilingualism: Language TrajectorySlide 8Sequential Bilingualism: Research QuestionsSequential Bilingualism: Abilities that HelpCognitive Consequences of BilingualismHistorical PerspectivesSlide 13Where are multiple languages in the brain?Slide 15Slide 16Slide 17Slide 18Slide 19Bilingualism: RecapSpecial PopulationsWhy special populations?Deaf ChildrenThe situationAbout Sign LanguagesSlide 26Slide 27Slide 28Progression of Sign Language AcquisitionOral Language Development in Deaf ChildrenSlide 31Deaf Children: RecapSlide 33Blind ChildrenWhy blind children?Linguistic Development of Blind ChildrenInsight into first language acquisitionMentally Retarded ChildrenA Heterogeneous GroupDown SyndromeDown Syndrome ImplicationsWilliams SyndromeWilliams Syndrome: Copying Simple PicturesSlide 44Williams Syndrome: “Draw An Elephant”Williams Syndrome: “Describe An Elephant”Slide 47Describing Complex PicturesWilliams Syndrome: Conclusive?Williams Syndrome: Neurological UnderpinningsWilliams Syndrome: ImplicationsAutistic ChildrenCharacteristics of AutismLanguage in Lower-Functioning AutisticsLanguage in Higher-Functioning AutisticsSlide 56Autism: ImplicationsSpecific Language ImpairmentCharacteristics of Specific Language Impairment (SLI)Slide 60Slide 61Accounting for Specific Language Impairment (SLI)Slide 63Slide 64Genetic Factors in Specific Language Impairment (SLI)SLI: ImplicationsQuestions?Psych 56L/ Ling 51:Acquisition of LanguageLecture 16Childhood Bilingualism +Language in Special PopulationsAnnouncementsReminder: Please complete the course evaluation for this class if you haven’t already done so.HW 3 is due today (returned Wednesday)Wednesday is the review for the final - bring questions, your notes, and your book.Review questions available for special populationsFinal: Friday Dec 12, 1:30pm-3:30pm in SH 128 (same place as usual)Childhood BilingualismQuickTime™ and a decompressorare needed to see this picture.Development Trajectory Data: Monolingual vs. Simultaneous BilingualAre bilingual children……the same as monolingual children, because acquiring language is fundamentally the same process?…behind monolingual children, because there are two languages they have to decipher?…ahead of monolingual children, because they have a more diverse linguistic experience and so are likely to learn more?Development Trajectory Data: Monolingual vs. Simultaneous BilingualPrecursors to language: canonical babblingBoth monolingual babies and bilingual babies begin canonical babbling at the same time.Lexical development: vocabulary size & contentsBilingual children tend to have smaller vocabularies in each of their languages than monolingual children do in their single language. However, lexical knowledge tends to be distributed in bilingual children - they know words in one language which they don’t know in the other. Also, the total combined vocabulary tends to be larger than the total vocabulary of monolingual children.Development Trajectory Data: Monolingual vs. Simultaneous BilingualMorphosyntactic development: Gathercole (2002) studiesBilingual children lag behind monolingual children in mastering the grammar, even though the course of development is the same (go through similar stages).Important note: input effects are apparent in bilingual acquisitionFrequency with which children hear the relevant structures in the target languages directly influences how well they acquire them. Bilingual exposure is, by necessity, less in each language than monolingual exposure.Sequential Bilingualism: Language TrajectoryIt’s pretty rare that children “soak up language like a sponge”, though it’s true that children do better than adults in terms of ultimate attainment. However, they’re likely to reach their ultimate knowledge state more slowly than adults (may take on average between 5-7 years).Language transfer errors are common: errors caused by the influence of the old language on the new oneQuickTime™ and a decompressorare needed to see this picture.QuickTime™ and a decompressorare needed to see this picture.Sequential Bilingualism: Language TrajectoryWhat happens to the child’s first language varies - they may lose the first language altogether or they may have the first language become a non-dominant language (since the second language is the one they use more and are more proficient in). What researchers agree on: these trade-offs between first and second language proficiency do not reflect the brain’s capacity to handle two languages. Instead, they are a reflection of the psychology and sociology of language use.Sequential Bilingualism: Research QuestionsHow similar is second language acquisition in childhood to first language acquisition? If children have specialized knowledge that helps them with first language acquisition (which goes away when they get older), is it still available for second language acquisition since their brains are still young? Support for it being available: children’s rate of first language development from 3-5 years of age was significantly related to their performance on tests of foreign language aptitude at 13 years of age (Skehan 1991)Support for it not being available: very little variability in ultimate knowledge state for native language, but huge variability in ultimate knowledge state for second languageSequential Bilingualism: Abilities that HelpOne likely component of an aptitude for language that does not apply only to first language acquisition is phonological memory, the ability to repeat a new sound sequence after hearing it. Children who are better at repeating a new sound sequence have been shown to be better at learning a new language (Service 1992, Service & Kohonen 1995). QuickTime™ and a decompressorare needed to see this picture.Cognitive Consequences of BilingualismIs it better to learn multiple languages when you’re young? Or is it better just to know one language?QuickTime™ and a decompressorare needed to see this picture.Historical PerspectivesYoshioka (1929), regarding immigrant bilingual children’s performance on intelligence tests: “Bilingualism in young children is a hardship and devoid of apparent advantage.” Peal & Lambert (1962): bilinguals who are the same with respect to social class perform better than
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