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Course Objectives
Compare different theoretical positions on first, second and bilingual language acquisition Analyse language data to describe aspects of preschool and school-age language development Explain and illustrate concepts and issues in the interaction between languages and society Use the concepts to explain the role of the home, school and society in the acquisition of English by Singapore children Apply knowledge and skills acquired in the course to make connections with classroom teaching in Singapore primary and secondary schools DNA, 2011
Acquisition
No G h N TG changes, please l Assessment: 50% assignment (9 Mar); 50% exam (18 Apr) Compulsory course book:
Goh, C. C. M. & Silver R. E. (2006) Language Learning: Home, School and Society. Singapore: Pearson Longman. DNA, 2011
Development
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Semantic Development Learning the Phonological meaning of Development words d Learning Sounds Communicative Development in Infancy
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Phonological Development
Learning sounds and sound patterns
Cries Cooing Babbling Words
Semantic Development
The ways in which speakers relate words to their referents and their meanings Early vocabulary:
Reflect their daily lives Context-bound, here-and-now
School years:
phonemes, word stress, rhythm and intonation Anglin (1993) : when children begin school they know about 10,000 words. Metalinguistic awareness: they think about their own language, understand what words are, and are able to define them.
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Syntagmatic
The brilliant boy passed with flying colours. male girl human (superordinate) h synonymy antonymy hyponymy h
Sense relations
Syntagmatic & Paradigmatic relations
Paradigmatic
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Syntax
When they acquire the ability to use language appropriately in a variety of situations
Social competence
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So
Pragmatics
The Th use and interpretation of language in context di i fl i The system of rules that dictates the way language is used to reach social ends.
What issues must we consider when discussing language acquisition and development?
Speech acts
Getting thing done with words Direct vs. Indirect
Nature of language
LANGUAGE
MEANING Semantics
USE
Pragmatics
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LANGUAGE
Psycholinguistic Aspects
The language used - input received output feedback received, output, on output
Social environment
The childs life experiences
The type of interaction/conversation Parenting style Social experience little opportunity to interact with other children/adults; anxieties Familys social class Etc.
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LEARN
USE
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE
Descriptive Aspects e
USE
LEARN
USE
Sociolinguistic Aspects
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Theoretical Approaches
Behaviourism: B h i i
Say what I say
Innatism: I i
Its all in your mind
Interactionism:
What are the limitations of these theoretical approaches?
Pg.18, Goh & Silver (2006)
Behaviourism
According to this theory, children learn language the same way they learn maths & music wa the m sic
adults model, children imitate & practise adults teach/correct them
According to Skinner (1957), learning takes place when there is a stimulus, reinforcement and feedback.
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Role of adults
Language learning
Habit formation
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Limitations
1. Language is learnt through imitation. It I is true that they may copy and imitate both verbal h h d b h b l and non-verbal behaviours. However, this theory cannot explain how children can produce and comprehend utterances they have never heard before.
Overgeneralisation: break - broked Mother: Maybe we need to take you to the doctor. Randall (36 months): Why? So he can doc my little bump?
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Sometimes, even with explicit correction, the desired outcome may not always result result:
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Innatism
For example, Child : Nobody don t like me. don't me Parent : No, say 'nobody likes me'. Child : Nobody don't like me. (Repeated 8 times) Parent : Now listen carefully, say 'nobody likes me'. Child : Oh nobody don t likes me. Oh, dont me (Data from McNeill, 1966)
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Chomsky (1957): Language is rule-based and generative in nature, processed through complicated cognitive processes and mechanisms. Humans are innately predisposed to acquire language, in much the same way humans are predisposed to walk and stand upright.
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Children are biologically programmed for language language acquisition device The environment makes only a basic contribution, serving as a trigger to activate the LAD. Children have the innate ability to discover for themselves the underlying rules of a language system on the basis of the samples of a natural language they are exposed to.
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Acts as a trigger gg Innate mental capacity for language LAD (Universal Grammar)
Language X
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Limitations
1. Competence vs. performance Chomskys arguments are primarily based on competence instead of performance. Too much emphasis on the final state (i.e. the linguistic competence of adult native speakers), but not enough on the developmental aspects of language acquisition. l iii Focus on syntactic model
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Interactionism
2. Role of environment Adult language input and socialisation processes oversimplified. Concerned with social and psychological aspects of lang age learning language Focus on:
the role of the linguistic environment in interaction with the childs innate capacities how language and cognitive developments take place within key contexts of interaction:
Care-giving Play Reading sessions, etc. Motherese/ Child-directed speech DNA, 2011
Vygotsky
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Interactions
Routines: Help children develop scripts about how events typically i ll unfold
Provide input
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Limitation
The interactionists recognize:
the contributions of the innate structures of the human mind the environment which provides the language samples
Language acquisition
1.Inadequate account of the cognitive processes that children engage in Difference between interactionism and innatism? Effect of childs personality and learning strategies?
LA is similar to and influenced by the acquisition of other kinds of skill and knowledge instead of being independent of the childs experience and cognitive development.
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Summary
Behaviourism
Language is a subset of learned behaviours through L i b fl db h i h h conditioning and habit formation.
Child
A clean slate clean
Environment
It is a source of language models and provides selective reinforcements. The input from the environment is degenerate but necessary for triggering innate knowledge.
Innatism
Language is processed through biologically programmed and psychological means.
Interactionism I i i
Language is learnt through interaction in meaningful communicative contexts.
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All languages have Born with syntactic grammatical knowledge for analysing structures that are linguistic input universal. Language has social and communicative purposes.
Inn natist
Interactionist
Uses contextual clues from The environment provides interaction to process meaning contexts for language language input and language use.
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References
Chapters 1 & 2, Goh & Silver (2006). Language Learning: Home Learning Home, School and Society. Singapore Society Singapore: Pearson Longman. Chapters 1& 7, Gleason, & Ratner (2009). The Development of Language, 7th edition. Pearson Ed.
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