LING10020LanguageAcquisitionandDisruption

Lecture1

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Topicscovered,part1

•  Linguistics;theoriesofLanguageAcquisition•  Phonologicaldevelopment

•  LexicalDevelopment

•  SyntacticDevelopment

•  PragmaticDevelopment

Topicscovered,part1covered

•  Linguistics;theoriesofLanguageAcquisition

•  Linguistics:examineseverythingtodowithLanguage

•  Typesoftheoriesoflanguageacquisition

•  Behaviourist,Constructivist,Nativist

Topicscovered,part1

•  Linguistics;theoriesofLanguageAcquisition•  Phonologicaldevelopment

• Spokenlanguagereliesonperceivingandproducingsounds;twoseparateprocesses–oneunderlyingsystem

• Childrenmasterlanguagesoundsystemseasily

Topicscovered,part1

•  Linguistics;theoriesofLanguageAcquisition•  Phonologicaldevelopment

• Spokenlanguagereliesonperceivingandproducingsounds;twoseparateprocesses–oneunderlyingsystem

• Childrenmasterlanguagesoundsystemseasily• Signlanguagesexhibitthesamekindofsystem

Topicscovered,part1

•  Linguistics;theoriesofLanguageAcquisition•  Phonologicaldevelopment•  LexicalDevelopment

•  Wordsarepartoflanguage•  Builtoutofsmallerunits,sounds•  Acquiredwithoutanyoverttraining•  Relatedtoourconceptualsystem

LING10020LanguageAcquisitionandDisruption

Lecture2

Topicscovered,part1

•  SyntacticDevelopment

•  Languagebuildsphrases•  Childrenmasterthecomplexitiesofthesyntaxofanylanguagewithoutanyovertinstruction

•  {(Theman)[saw(thegirl)]}

Topicscovered,part1

•  PragmaticDevelopment

•  Asadultsweknowhowtoworkoutspeakermeaningfromlanguage,evenwhenthelanguagedoesnotexpressthemeaning

•  It’srainingcatsanddogs.

Topicscovered,part1

•  Linguistics;theoriesofLanguageAcquisition•  Phonologicaldevelopment

•  LexicalDevelopment

•  SyntacticDevelopment

•  PragmaticDevelopment

•  Anytheoryoflanguageacquisitionmustexplainhowallthiscomesabout

•  Soeasily

•  Insuchawidevarietyofenvironments

•  Andawidevarietyofcognitiveabilities

Topicscovered,part2

•  Linguistic/Emotionaldeprivationandlanguage

WildChildren•  Wolf‐childofHesse 1344 7•  Wolf‐childofWetteravia 1344 12•  Bear‐childofLithuania 1661 12•  Sheep‐childofIreland 1672 16•  Calf‐childofBamberg 1680 ?•  Bear‐childofLithuania 1694 10•  Kidnappeddutchgirl 1717 19•  TwoboysofPyrenees 1719 ?•  PeterofHanover 1724 13•  GirlfromSogny 1731 10•  JeanofLiege ? 21•  TomkoofHungary 1767 ?•  Bear‐girlofFraumark 1767 18•  VictorofAveyron 1799 11•  KapserHauser(Nuremburg) 182817•  Sow‐girlofSalzburg ? 2.5•  ChildofHusanpur 1843 ?•  ChildofSultanpur 1843 ?

WildKids•  ConfinedchildofPennsylvania(Anna) 1938 5

•  ConfinedchildofOhio(Isabelle) 1938 6.5

•  GazellechildofSyria 1946 ?•  ChildofNewDehli 1954 12

•  Gazelle‐childofMauritania 1960 ?

•  Ape‐childofTeheran 1961 14

•  Kulochovatwins 1966 12

•  Genie 1970 13.5

•  Adam 1973 1.5

•  JohnSsabunnya 1991 6

Linguistic/Emotionaldeprivationandlanguage

•  FeralorIsolatedChildren:– Genie(foundat13yearsofage)–  IsabelleofOhio(foundat6yearsofage)–  Chelsea(deaf,exposedtolanguageonlyasanadult)

•  Theseshowthatchildrencanlearnlanguageeveniftheyarenotexposedtoitfromthestart

•  Butthatafterpubertyacquisitionisnotpossible

Isabelle

•  IsabellewasfoundinOhioinNovember1938at6andahalfyearsofagewithricketsfromlackofnourishment,havinglivedinadarkenedroomawayfromtherestofthefamily.

•  Shedevelopedsowellthatby8andahalfshewasindistinguishablefromother8yr.olds.

•  Shewastheillegitimatechildofadeafmuteandlivedmostofthetimeawayfromthefamilywithnoexposuretospokenlanguage.

•  Shewasfoundbeforepubertyandwasabletodeveloplanguageatanincrediblerate.Shehadhadsomeexposuretoagesturalcommunicationsystembeforeshewasfound.

Chelsea

•  Chelseawasahearingimpairedadultwhobeganherfirstlanguageacquisitioninherearlythirties.Herlanguageshowgrosssemanticandsyntacticdeficienciesdespiterelativelynormalnonlinguisticcognitiveandsocialfunctionplusgoodlexicalability.

•  Theonlydeprivationsheexperiencedwaslinguistic.Shewasraisedinalovingenvironmentbutherdeafnesswasnotdiagnoseduntilshewasanadult.

Genie

•  WhenGeniewas13.5yearsofage,Genie’smotherescapedwithherandstayedwithherownmother.

•  Whenshewenttoapplyforaidfortheblind,shewentinthroughawrongdoorandendedupinthefamilywelfarebuildingwherethesocialworkersawGenieandrealisedthattherewassomethingwrong.OnthedayofthetrialofGenie’sparents,thefathercommittedsuicide.

•  Genieneverreallygainedthefulluseof‘language’orothersocialskills.Sheendedupinahomeforcognitivelyimpairedadults.

•  SheseemstohavebeendiscoveredaftertheCriticalPeriodforLanguageacquisitionwasover(aftertheonsetofPuberty).

Topicscovered

•  Linguistic/Emotionaldeprivationandlanguage•  LanguageandAutism

LanguageandAutism

•  TheoryofMind•  ThisappearstobenecessaryforlanguageacquisitionbutisanareaofdeficitinAutisticchildren

•  Only25%developafullyfunctioninglanguage•  50%developnofunctioninglanguageatall

LanguageandAutism

•  Whereafullyfunctioninglanguageispresent•  Grammarseemsgoodbut•  ThelexiconisorganizeddifferentlyinAutisticchildren

•  Prosodyandvolumecontrolcanbeunusual

•  Echolalia(immediateandDelayed)occurs

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