Psycholinguistics
Feb 24, 2016
Psycholinguistics
Language AcquisitionTheories
Behaviorism
Imitation Reinforcement Analogy
Skinner
The Innateness Hypothesis
Universal GrammarGrammar Construction
Chomsky
Do Children Learn through Imitation?
Do Children Learn through Correction and Reinforcement?
Stages in Language Aquisition Pre-linguistic stage (birth to six months): The baby cries, coos,
laughs, and makes other sounds. Babbling (six to 12 months): The baby makes nonspecific sounds from
all human languages. One-word (holophrastic) stage (1 year): The child speaks single
words in isolation, in his or her first language. Two-word stage (24 months): The child forms two-word phrases or
strings that reflect the language being acquired. The vocabulary increases; the child begins to learn words at the rate of one word every two waking hours.
Telegraphic speech (30 months): Children begin to utter short phrases like telegraph messages, without formal grammatical structure.
Fluent speech (three years +): The child learns grammar and syntax (patterns of sentence formation) with surprising rapidity and accuracy; sentences increase in length and complexity.
Pre-linguistic Stage
Babbling Brrrr, brrrr, bbbb, dadada, lala…
Holophrastic or Word Stage
Up!
Down!
Cheerios!
Two Word StageHi Mommy!
Bye bye boat
More wet
Telegraphic Stage
Cat stand up tableWhat that?Andrew want that.No sit there.Ride truckShow mommy that
Language ExplosionLook mommy,
how I climbI know what
to do
I like to play with something
else
The Acquisition of Pragmatics
Write aroundEach participant has one paper and pencilEach participant writes one sentence and
passes the paper to the right.Read the narrative on the paper you
received and write a sentence to go with that narrative.
Continue this process until the facilitator calls time.
Language Acquisition Write Around
The process of language acquisition is fast, but it is not instantaneous.
Bilingualism vs. Second Language Acquisition
Bilingualism SLASimultaneous acquisition of two languages
Acquisition of L1 Acquisition of L2
•Unitary system hypothesis•Separate systems hypothesis
Fundamental difference hypothesis
Same stages of LA as monolingual children
L2ers construct interlanguage grammars
Unconscious process Conscious processCodeswitching L1 Interference
Theories of Language Acquisition
-Tabula rasa-Stimuli
-Conditioning- Reinforcement
-Innate predispositions
-Systematic, rule governed
acquisition-Creative
construction
-Constructivist-Social interaction
-Cognition and language
-Functions of language-Discourse
Behaviorist Nativist Functional
An Innatist Model: Krashen’s Input Hypothesis
1. Acquisition – Learning Hypothesis2. Monitor Hypothesis3. Natural Order Hypothesis4. Input Hypothesis5. Affective Filter Hypothesis
Numbered Heads TogetherAt your table, write one question about
second language acquisition on an index card.
Hand in the cards. Number the groups.Listen to the question and discuss it at
your table finding consensus on one answer.
The number called will report the answer.