FirstLanguage Acquisition Supplementary Readings Language Acquisitionand RuleCreation Factors First Language Acquisition Complicating Language Acquisition Universal Grammarand Language Acquisition SomeStagesof Language Acquisition Summary Supplementary Readings FirstLanguage Acquisition Supplementary Readings Language Acquisitionand RuleCreation The following readings have been posted to the Moodle Factors Complicating course site: Language Acquisition (cid:73) Language Instinct: Chapter 9 Universal Grammarand (cid:73) Contemporary Linguistics: Chapter 10 Language Acquisition (pp. 351-358, 367-374, 378-385) SomeStagesof (cid:73) Language Files: Chapter 8 (pp. 319-332) Language Acquisition Summary Another Fundamental Question: How does a child learn this system of rules and mental representations? A Key Insight (Noam Chomsky; 1950s): This is a deep mystery of human biological development (cid:73) Newbornbabycan’tspeakEnglish/Sixyearoldcan. (cid:73) Howdidthebraingofromthefirststate(nolanguage) tothesecond(English)? The Big Picture, Once Again FirstLanguage Acquisition Supplementary The Fundamental Question: Readings Language What are the rules and mental representations that Acquisitionand underlie our ability to speak and understand a language? RuleCreation Factors Complicating Language Acquisition Universal Grammarand Language Acquisition SomeStagesof Language Acquisition Summary A Key Insight (Noam Chomsky; 1950s): This is a deep mystery of human biological development (cid:73) Newbornbabycan’tspeakEnglish/Sixyearoldcan. (cid:73) Howdidthebraingofromthefirststate(nolanguage) tothesecond(English)? The Big Picture, Once Again FirstLanguage Acquisition Supplementary The Fundamental Question: Readings Language What are the rules and mental representations that Acquisitionand underlie our ability to speak and understand a language? RuleCreation Factors Complicating Language Another Fundamental Question: Acquisition How does a child learn this system of rules and mental Universal Grammarand representations? Language Acquisition SomeStagesof Language Acquisition Summary The Big Picture, Once Again FirstLanguage Acquisition Supplementary The Fundamental Question: Readings Language What are the rules and mental representations that Acquisitionand underlie our ability to speak and understand a language? RuleCreation Factors Complicating Language Another Fundamental Question: Acquisition How does a child learn this system of rules and mental Universal Grammarand representations? Language Acquisition SomeStagesof A Key Insight (Noam Chomsky; 1950s): Language Acquisition This is a deep mystery of human biological development Summary (cid:73) Newbornbabycan’tspeakEnglish/Sixyearoldcan. (cid:73) Howdidthebraingofromthefirststate(nolanguage) tothesecond(English)? The ‘Common Sense’ Answer: Imitation (duh) Kidslearnlanguagebyimitatingthepeoplearoundthem! The Truth: (cid:73) Although‘imitation’isinvolvedinlanguageacquisition... (cid:73) Thereisalotmoretoitthanjustimitation... Language Acquisition and ‘Imitation’ FirstLanguage Acquisition Supplementary Readings Another Fundamental Question: Language Acquisitionand How does a child learn this system of rules and mental RuleCreation representations? Factors Complicating Language Acquisition Universal Grammarand Language Acquisition SomeStagesof Language Acquisition Summary The Truth: (cid:73) Although‘imitation’isinvolvedinlanguageacquisition... (cid:73) Thereisalotmoretoitthanjustimitation... Language Acquisition and ‘Imitation’ FirstLanguage Acquisition Supplementary Readings Another Fundamental Question: Language Acquisitionand How does a child learn this system of rules and mental RuleCreation representations? Factors Complicating Language Acquisition The ‘Common Sense’ Answer: Imitation (duh) Universal Grammarand Kidslearnlanguagebyimitatingthepeoplearoundthem! Language Acquisition SomeStagesof Language Acquisition Summary Language Acquisition and ‘Imitation’ FirstLanguage Acquisition Supplementary Readings Another Fundamental Question: Language Acquisitionand How does a child learn this system of rules and mental RuleCreation representations? Factors Complicating Language Acquisition The ‘Common Sense’ Answer: Imitation (duh) Universal Grammarand Kidslearnlanguagebyimitatingthepeoplearoundthem! Language Acquisition SomeStagesof The Truth: Language Acquisition (cid:73) Although‘imitation’isinvolvedinlanguageacquisition... Summary (cid:73) Thereisalotmoretoitthanjustimitation... Conclusion: (cid:73) Kidsaren’tjust‘imitating’thethingstheyhear. (cid:73) Instead,theyaretryingtofigureouttherules (cid:73) Likelinguists,theymakeaguess(sometimeswrong) (cid:73) Theyadjusttheirhypothesizedrulesuntilthey’reright. Language Acquisition is Not Just ‘Imitation’ FirstLanguage Acquisition First Key Fact: Supplementary Childrensaythingsthatthey’veneverheardbefore. Readings Language (cid:73) Childrenmake‘mistakes’allthetime: Acquisitionand ‘goed’ [gowd] RuleCreation ‘leafes’ [lif1z] Factors Complicating Language (cid:73) These‘mistakes’arenotrandom‘sloppiness’. Acquisition Rather,kidsareover-applying aruleofthelanguage: Universal Grammarand (cid:73) /-d/aspast-tenseon‘go’(insteadof‘went’) Language Acquisition (cid:73) /-z/→[-1z]/C (insteadof‘stridents’) fricative SomeStagesof Language Acquisition Summary Language Acquisition is Not Just ‘Imitation’ FirstLanguage Acquisition First Key Fact: Supplementary Childrensaythingsthatthey’veneverheardbefore. Readings Language (cid:73) Childrenmake‘mistakes’allthetime: Acquisitionand ‘goed’ [gowd] RuleCreation ‘leafes’ [lif1z] Factors Complicating Language (cid:73) These‘mistakes’arenotrandom‘sloppiness’. Acquisition Rather,kidsareover-applying aruleofthelanguage: Universal Grammarand (cid:73) /-d/aspast-tenseon‘go’(insteadof‘went’) Language Acquisition (cid:73) /-z/→[-1z]/C (insteadof‘stridents’) fricative SomeStagesof Language Acquisition Conclusion: Summary (cid:73) Kidsaren’tjust‘imitating’thethingstheyhear. (cid:73) Instead,theyaretryingtofigureouttherules (cid:73) Likelinguists,theymakeaguess(sometimeswrong) (cid:73) Theyadjusttheirhypothesizedrulesuntilthey’reright.