VARIATION IN CHILD FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

The issue of variation in FLA and SLA/SLL Variables influence IN SLL/SLA rate final attainment IN FLA rate

Variables in FLA Effect of situation Effect of situation Inherited attributes Inherited attributes Gender Gender Intelligence Intelligence Personality and learning style Personality and learning style Social background Social background Experience of linguistic data Experience of linguistic data Amount and type of conversation Amount and type of conversation Qualitative differences in adult-child interaction Qualitative differences in adult-child interaction

Effect of situation Amount and type of motherese Amount and type of motherese But not all communities use motherese! But not all communities use motherese! Activities, scenes of language use – functionalism!! Activities, scenes of language use – functionalism!! Interaction with adults vs. children Interaction with adults vs. children Roles of caretakers (carer, playmate, controller, etc.) Roles of caretakers (carer, playmate, controller, etc.)

Gósy (1999): detrimental noise

Inherited attributes: Gender Girls: advantage in rate (Gósy: at early childhood and at 6-7 years) Girls: advantage in rate (Gósy: at early childhood and at 6-7 years) Reason: Reason: different expectations of and communication with them Strengthens by adulthood: Strengthens by adulthood:cooperationinitiation

Intelligence Studies relating to Studies relating to - size of vocabulary - rate of acquisition of syntactic structures - acquiring spatial/temporal sequences No significant result No significant result - difficult to define intelligence - many types: IQ vs. EQ!

Personality and learning style Extroversion/introversion: Extroversion/introversion: initiation speed and ease Sociability: Sociability: „join and communicate” „Referential” and „Referential” and „noun lover” kids learn vocab. faster than „expressive” ones Two-element combinations of SVO Two-element combinations of SVO

Social background Points of disagreement: Points of disagreement: Nature and size of variation Nature and size of variation Resources or use of resources? Resources or use of resources? Parameters to distinguish social grouping Parameters to distinguish social grouping Mechanism responsible for the relationship betw. group membership and linguistic variation Mechanism responsible for the relationship betw. group membership and linguistic variation

Early studies Berstein: clear advantage of middle-class children in Berstein: clear advantage of middle-class children in rate of learning, rate of learning, linguistic proficiency, linguistic proficiency, style (exploratory, explicit language use). style (exploratory, explicit language use). Labov: Labov: legitimising dialects

Bristol study: Bristol study: Full range of family backgrounds Full range of family backgrounds Naturally occurring speech samples Naturally occurring speech samples No researcher present when recording No researcher present when recording Legitimising local dialects Legitimising local dialects No significant difference in - the amount of speech - types of contexts - range of pragmatic functions - rate: controversial - rate: controversial

Tough (1977) on parental status Aspects: Aspects: Self-maintaining Self-maintaining Directives Directives Interpretatives Interpretatives Projectives Projectives High FB children did better

Experience of linguistic interaction: Amount and type of conversation Significant relation betw. amount of speech and rate of progress Significant relation betw. amount of speech and rate of progress Rate of development and joint enterprise Rate of development and joint enterprise As opposed to mothering and independent As opposed to mothering and independent Family status Family status First-borns and kids with no siblings close in age progress faster First-borns and kids with no siblings close in age progress faster Significance of parental attention Significance of parental attention

Qualitative differences in adult and child interaction Motherese – modification in Motherese – modification in Length Length Complexity Complexity Intonation Intonation Range of sentence Range of sentence meaning relations meaning relations Vocabulary Vocabulary Interpersonal functions Interpersonal functions Discourse functions Discourse functions

Rate of development correlates with More finely-tuned talk (sensitive and responsive to kids’ reaction) More finely-tuned talk (sensitive and responsive to kids’ reaction) Matching – referential - accepting parental behaviour Matching – referential - accepting parental behaviour Contingent speech Contingent speech Concern to facilitate conversation Concern to facilitate conversation Vs. concern to control behaviour Vs. concern to control behaviour (= expressive, unidirectional!)

Conclusion Variables mainly influence rate Variables mainly influence rate Controversial influence: Controversial influence: Gender Gender Personality Personality Social class Social class Strongest influence: Strongest influence: Quality and amount of caretaker talk Quality and amount of caretaker talk Interactive community is essential for FLA Interactive community is essential for FLA Rehabilitation potential limited in time Rehabilitation potential limited in time