Language Development: Background January 10th, 2014 © Copyrighted material

Defining Language © Copyrighted material

What Is Language? Systematic and conventional use of sounds (or signs or written symbols) for the purpose of communication or self- expression The system of spoken or written communication used by a particular country, people, community, etc., typically consisting of words used within a regular grammatical and syntactic structure © Copyrighted material

Other Definitions The concrete act of speaking Abstract system underlying the collective totality of the speech/writing behaviour of a community The biological faculty which enables individuals to learn and use their communication systems A defining feature of human behaviour A city, to the building of which every human being brought a stone © Copyrighted material

Some Agreement Language is Communicative Arbitrary Structured Multilayered Productive Evolutionary © Copyrighted material

Psycholinguistics Approach taken in the course Summarized by one word:________ Discovered through experimental methods and observation © Copyrighted material

Parts of Language /ɛnkaɪˈrɪdɪən/ enchiridion Phonetics and phonology: the constituent sounds and sound system of a language /ɛnkaɪˈrɪdɪən/ enchiridion © Copyrighted material

enchiridiony, enchiridioning Parts of Language Semantics: the meaning of a word Lexicon: vocabulary and knowledge of derivational morphology/compounding (word building) enchiridion Handbook or manual enchiridiony, enchiridioning © Copyrighted material

Parts of Language enchiridion(s) Grammar: the structural organization of words and morphemes Morphology: combining units of meaning (words and morphemes) Syntax: combining words into sentences enchiridion(s) He needed three enchiridions for his courses. He was a self-help junkie with an enchiridion for every problem. He needed three enchiridion for his courses. Junkie for he an self-help a every problem with was enchiridion. © Copyrighted material

Parts of Language enchiridion Pragmatics: understanding others’ meaning beyond their words (communicative function) Sociolinguistics: transmittal of information to others in socially appropriate ways enchiridion You need to use the enchiridion. You are doing it all wrong, you idiot. Get the enchiridion now! An enchiridion is often helpful. Would you like me to help you by finding the enchiridion? © Copyrighted material

Language Development 5 year olds are old fogies! © Copyrighted material

Why Study Language? Extremely complex, so want to understand its fast acquisition Behaviourism vs. Cognitivism Human social needs Indicator of status Linguistic variations Pronunciation (phonology) Lexicon Grammar © Copyrighted material

History of Language Research © Copyrighted material

Origin Stories Religions/mythologies of many cultures have language origin stories Hindu: Brahma punished world tree by cutting off branches, new trees = new cultures/language Greeks: Hermes gave different speech to people to invoke discord Africa: post-famine What a dreadful pity that the bother at the tower of Babel should have got language all mixed up; but for that , everyone would have always spoken French. -Voltaire The people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. © Copyrighted material

Ancient Research Psammetichus: first experiment Plato: Cratylus, arbitrary (conventional) or intrinsic (natural)? Important to get to Forms Reflected in Confucius’ thinking as well India: much phonetic and morphology research arose out of need to read Vedic Sanskrit texts © Copyrighted material

Pre-modern Research Wild children in 18th century Debate between Descartes and Locke; Locke won Origins of sign language research Critical periods? © Copyrighted material

Modern Research Functionalist Era (1800-1957) Baby biographies Darwin: that perfection of structure and coadaptation which most justly excites our admiration Leopold: bilingual infant Normative studies Behaviourism (Skinner) Correct grammar is positively re-enforced and will be used in the future, and incorrect grammar is negatively re-enforced and will be not be used again © Copyrighted material

Modern Research con’t Psycholinguistic / Cognitive Science Era (1957 - Present) Chomsky Argument against Skinner: All possible sentences (infinite) would be impossible to learn through imitation and reinforcement Children acquire language quickly and effortlessly, and at identical stages across cultures Words like goed, thinked, and eated aren’t spoken by parents Innate ability: LAD and UG Internal to the mind/brain © Copyrighted material

Modern Research con’t Psycholinguistic / Cognitive Science Era (1957-present) Other approaches Biological: genetic bases, structures and processes in the brain Lenneberg (1967) Brain imaging, evolution Cognitive: domain-specific versus domain-general Linguistic: Chomskyan Social learning: neo-behaviourist (Skinner), looking at how socialization (other people) aids in language learning © Copyrighted material