The Development of Children, Seventh Edition Cynthia Lightfoot, Michael Cole, and Sheila R. Cole Chapter 7: Language Acquisition

Chapter Overview The Power of Language Keys to the World of Language The Basic Domains of Language Acquisition Explanations of Language Acquisition Reconsidering the Keys to Language

I. The Power of Language Language is a cultural tool, a symbolic system of enormous scope and power. It profoundly affects development by mediating human activities, relationships, and thinking.

II. Keys to the World of Language Biological Key: Biological structures and systems that support language Environmental Key: Participation in a language-using community

Biological Key to Language Nonhuman primates dramatically different from humans Research with bonobos and chimpanzees May learn to understand language Don’t spontaneously produce spoken language Can produce language equivalent to 2-year-old child Only with extensive teaching

Biological Key to Language: Brain Structures and Processes Broca’s Area An area of the brain that when damaged the individual’s speech is either absent or severely disrupted Wernicke’s Area An area of the brain that when damaged the individual’s speech makes little sense

Environmental Key to Language Language Deprived Environments The case of Genie Deaf children

Environmental Key to Language Cultural Variations Infant directed speech Motherese or baby-talk Deliberate instruction

II. Apply – Connect – Discuss In describing language as an “instinct,” Steven Pinker (1994) wrote that “people know how to talk in more or less the sense that spiders know how to spin webs … spiders spin spider webs because they have spider brains, which give them the urge to spin and the competence to succeed.” In what ways might his argument be insufficient for explaining how individual children acquire language?

III. Basic Domains of Language Acquisition Phonological development Semantic development Grammar development Pragmatic development

Phonological Development The process of learning how to segment sequences of speech into meaningful units. Components: Segmenting sequences of speech phonemes morphemes Mastering pronunciation Rules of the native sound system

Semantic Development Semantic development: Components: The process of learning the meanings of words and word combinations. Components: Understanding the meaning of words and strings of words Learning to pair words

The Vocabulary Spurt Fast Mapping: The way in which children quickly form first-pass ideas of word meanings. Occurs at about 2 or 3 years of age Use of social cues to infer speaker’s intentions

Grammar Development Definition of grammar development: The process of learning the rules of a particular language for sequencing words in a sentence, and word parts within words.

Grammatical Morphemes Words and parts of words that create meaning by showing the relations between other elements within the sentence.

Pragmatic Development Definition of pragmatic development: The process of learning the social and cultural conventions that govern how language is used in particular contexts.

III. Apply – Connect – Discuss Consider the two exchanges below between a mother and her son, Richard, while they were looking at a book, the first when Richard was about 1 year old; the second when he was nearly 2 years old. Analyze each in terms of concepts presented in this section.

Apply – Connect – Discuss First exchange (1 year old): Mother: Look! Richard (touches pictures) Mother: What are those? Richard: (vocalizes a babble string and smiles) Mother: Yes, there are rabbits Richard (vocalizes, smiles, looks up at mother) Mother: (laughs) Yes, rabbit. Richard (vocalizes, smiles) Mother: Yes. (laughs)

Apply – Connect – Discuss Second exchange (2 years old): Mother: What’s that? Richard: Mouse. Mother: Mouse, yes. That’s a mouse. Richard (pointing at another picture): More mouse. Mother: No, those are squirrels. They’re like mice but with long tails. Sort of. Richard: Mouse, mouse, mouse. Mother: Yes, all right, they’re mice. Richard: Mice, mice.

IV. Explanations of Language Acquisition Three dominant approaches Biological Explanations Social and Cultural Explanations Cognitive Approaches

Biological Explanations Our brains are hard wired to learn a language that follows certain universal rules

Social and Cultural Explanations Emphasizes the role of the sociocultural environment Formats Social interactions

Cognitive Approaches Explanation: Collective monologues True dialogue Language abilities follow from children’s increasing ability to think and process information Collective monologues True dialogue

IV. Apply – Connect – Discuss Review the discussion of primary and secondary intersubjectivity. In what ways are they similar to Bruner’s concept of a Language Acquisition Support System (LASS)?

V. Reconsidering the Keys to Language Two keys to the world of language Normal human biological structures and processes Active participation in language-using community With these two keys, young children enter a symbolic universe that is distinctively human.