Chapter10LanguageAcquisitionBrain-stormingWearenotbornspeaking!Languagemustbeacquired.Ifwethinkofallthatisentailedinknowingalanguage,itseemsquiteachallenge.Whatdoesababyknowaboutlanguage?

Islanguageinstinct?Languageisinnate–onlysurfacedetailsneedbelearned?Humanbrainpre-programmedforlanguage?Languageasaresultofgeneralcognitiveabilitiesofthebrain?Noonetellsuswhatspecificlanguagetolearnorparticularstructurestomemorize.

LanguageUniversalsWhatevidenceisthereforinnateknowledgeofcertainbasiclanguagefeaturespresentinallhumanlanguages?LINGUISTICUNIVERSALSUNIVERSALGRAMMAR(intermsofSOV,etc.)NounsandverbsSubjectsandobjects;modifierstendtofollowtheheadConsonantsandvowelsAbsoluteandimplicationaltendenciesE.g.,IfalanguagehasVOorder,Allsentenceshavethisorder.Agrammar

LanguageLearningVS.LanguageAcquisition

LanguageacquisitionThescientificstudyoflanguageacquisitionbeganaroundthesametimeasthebirthofcognitivescience,inthelate1950s.Languageacquisition----referstothechild’sacquisitionofhismothertongue,i.e.howthechildcomestounderstandandspeakthelanguageofhiscommunity.

TheoriesofchildlanguageacquisitionAbehavioristviewoflanguageacquisition(Skinners)Aninnatistviewoflanguageacquisition(Chomsky)AninteractionistviewoflanguageacquisitionCognitivefactorsinchildlanguagedevelopment

AbehavioristviewoflanguageacquisitionTraditionalbehavioristsviewlanguageasbehaviorandbelievethatlanguagelearningissimplyamatterofimitationandhabitformation.Imitation?Recognition?ReinforcementTheinadequacyofbehavioristviewliesinexplaininghowchildrenacquirecomplexlanguagesystem.(SeeexamplesonP142)

ForinstanceAmyfishandchipsThreechildMommyseemeonchairWhattheboyhurt?Cowboydidhittingme.

C:Wantotheroneapple,Daddy.D:Youmean,youwant“theotherappl