PS102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: American Sign Language, Vowel Length, Metalinguistic Awareness
Document Summary
Infant/ child has to select out the sounds relevant to language from other vocal sounds in the speech system. Holophrastic speech: one word (or phrase) Telegraphic- basic sentences: demands, questions, possession, statements. Preschool complex speech: full sentences, some grammatical flaws. Over regularization: english past tense and plurals, start to figure out grammar (add ed for passed, s for plural, u-shaped curve. Growing appreciation of ambiguities, playing with words. Children learn or acquire language through direct reinforcement or punishment. Problems: doesn"t explain creativity in utterances or errors in speech. Biologically and physiologically equipped for speech and language. Lad (language acquisition device: used in developmental psychology through sensitive/ critical, sensitive- whenever exposed is fine, critical- no exposure = no going back. Most proficient at learning a language between 2 and periods puberty. Acquisition not completed as early as nativists thought. Adults can learn and do so effectively. Diversity of world languages and grammars hard to explain.
