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

2. 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

3. 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.

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

5. 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

6. 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

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

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

9. 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?

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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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.

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

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

17. 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.

18. 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)

19. 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.

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

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

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

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

24. 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)?

25. 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.