Language acquisition Study Guide

📖 Core Concepts Language acquisition – the human process of gaining the ability to perceive, understand, and produce spoken or signed words and sentences. Key linguistic tools – phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and a large vocabulary are all required for successful use. Recursion – the syntactic principle that enables infinite sentence generation via relativization, complementation, and coordination. Sensitive / Critical period – a developmental window (birth ≈ 12 years; phonetic discrimination especially strong 0‑6 mo) when language learning is most efficient. Nature‑vs‑Nurture – nativist view (innate Universal Grammar, poverty of the stimulus) vs emergentist view (statistical learning, general cognition, interaction). Statistical learning – infants track frequencies of syllable/word co‑occurrences to infer word boundaries and lexical categories. Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) – tasks a child can accomplish with adult scaffolding, crucial for social‑interactionist theory. Brain loci – Broca’s area (production) & Wernicke’s area (comprehension) plus broader language‑related networks; early language uses widespread regions that later specialize. 📌 Must Remember Perception precedes production – children must first discriminate phonemes before they can speak them. Overregularization pattern – after learning the regular “‑ed” rule, children may say runned while still using correct irregulars (e.g., went). Poverty of the Stimulus – input is too limited to specify full grammar; innate constraints must exist. Sensitive period timeline 0‑6 mo: universal phonetic discrimination. 6 mo‑12 mo: narrowing to native phonemes (Kuhl et al., 2006). 12 yr: speech cortex becomes relatively fixed (Penfield). Statistical cue – high transitional probability between syllables signals word boundaries. Whole‑Object Assumption – new labels are assumed to name entire objects, not parts. Mutual exclusivity – a single object has only one label; children use this to map words. 🔄 Key Processes Phoneme Discrimination → Lexical Chunking → Word Segmentation Infants detect statistical regularities → segment words → attach meaning. Recursive Merge First‑merge: combine unordered elements into a set. Second‑merge: create ordered pairs, enabling hierarchical syntax. Statistical Learning of Word Boundaries Compute transitional probabilities; high → same word, low → boundary. ZPD‑Driven Learning Adult models → child imitates → feedback refines rule hypotheses. Critical‑Period Language Deprivation (e.g., Genie) Late grammar exposure → vocab may develop, but syntax remains impaired. 🔍 Key Comparisons Nativist vs. Emergentist Nativist: innate UG parameters, limited input → rapid grammar acquisition. Emergentist: language emerges from domain‑general cognition + statistical input. First‑Language vs. Second‑Language Acquisition First‑language: occurs within sensitive period; perception → production. Second‑language: learned after UG is set; often relies on explicit instruction, may retain accent. Speech vs. Sign Language Acquisition Both follow similar developmental milestones (babbling → words/ signs) despite modality differences. ⚠️ Common Misunderstandings “Children only imitate” – imitation is part of learning, but rule formation (e.g., ‑ed) shows abstract knowledge beyond rote copying. “Critical period means no learning after it” – vocabulary can still grow; grammar acquisition is markedly harder. “Statistical learning replaces innate mechanisms” – statistical cues are used by the innate learning system; they are not the sole driver. “All languages share the same syntax” – universal grammar provides parameters, but surface structures (e.g., ergative vs. nominative) differ. 🧠 Mental Models / Intuition “Language as a Lego set” – phonemes are bricks, words are built blocks, recursion is the ability to snap blocks together in infinite configurations. “Baby as a detective” – infants constantly tally how often sounds follow each other; high‑frequency pairings become “suspects” (words). “Sensitive period as a window” – the earlier the window is open, the clearer the view of all possible phonemes; after closing, only the view of the native language remains. 🚩 Exceptions & Edge Cases Deaf children with early sign exposure – follow typical timelines; lack of early sign exposure leads to language deprivation despite auditory capability. Cochlear implants – success hinges on implantation age, quality of speech training, and a solid first language (often signed). Late bilingual first‑language acquisition – simultaneous exposure can produce two native grammars, but delayed exposure to one language may cause asymmetrical proficiency. 📍 When to Use Which Statistical learning analysis – apply when evaluating early word‑segmentation tasks or infant‑directed speech corpora. Universal Grammar framework – useful for explaining rapid rule acquisition and overregularization errors. Social‑interactionist scaffolding – best for designing interventions that rely on adult modeling and ZPD support (e.g., language therapy). Critical‑period considerations – prioritize early exposure (speech or sign) in cases of hearing loss or atypical development. 👀 Patterns to Recognize Overregularization spikes shortly after a rule is internalized (e.g., many ‑ed errors around age 2‑3). High transitional probabilities → likely word boundaries in continuous speech. Shift from broad to narrow phoneme discrimination around 6 months; look for loss of non‑native contrast discrimination. Parallel developmental milestones in signed and spoken modalities (babbling → first words). 🗂️ Exam Traps Distractor: “Language acquisition is purely learned through reinforcement.” – Traps the behaviorist view; correct answer emphasizes innate mechanisms and statistical learning. Distractor: “Critical period ends at puberty for all aspects of language.” – Overstates; grammar is especially affected, while vocabulary can continue to grow. Distractor: “Universal Grammar predicts identical sentence structures across languages.” – UG sets parameters, not identical surface forms; cross‑linguistic variation (e.g., ergative languages) disproves this. Distractor: “Statistical learning alone explains syntax acquisition.” – Neglects the role of innate syntactic constraints and recursion. --- If a section lacked sufficient detail in the source outline, a placeholder note would appear, but all headings above are supported by the provided material.