Linguistic Terminology
The smallest unit of sound. Cat has 3 of these.
What is a phoneme?
The age range where the child may be rapidly exposed to more elaborated code.
What is ages 5-8?
Demonstrates one of Halliday’s functions of language:
[swimming in pool] Don’t swim to the bottom! The sharks will get you!
Heuristic Function [or] Imaginative Function
Evidence that humans have a Language Acquisition device (2 examples).
Children learn language at the same rate universally, regardless of environment or region.
Children can make up their own language in instances where they cannot /have not been exposed to it (virtuous errors, a deaf child making up their own language).
I am obsessed with the idea that language is a reflection of how the brain develops.
Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
Two complete thoughts joined by a subordinating conjunction. Children in the post-telegraphic stage start to use these.
What is an complex sentence?
Mother: eat your veggies^ (.) yummy^ yummy (.) MMMMMmmmmmm
Baby: ba ba ba ba mmmmmmmm
Mother: are you making funny noises^ can you say veggie^ say VEGgie
Baby: ba ba ba [laughs hysterically]
The mother is using this.
What is caretaker language?
This is one of Halliday’s functions of language:
Student: I am going to take pictures of the class notes for Bethany and Jessica because they were absent.Teacher: Ok, thanks for the information.
Representational
Read the transcription and determine which theory of language acquisition best fits:
Erika: that are cute puppies
Mom: those ARE cute puppies (2) can you say those (.) ARE cute puppies^?
Erika: those (2) are cute puppies
Mom: WOW (.) you are so smart (.) let’s get ice cream
[3 days later]
Erika: what are those^
Mom: WOW (2) smart girl (2) these are my new crocs
B.F. Skinner: Operant conditioning
My research with dogs proves that behavior is learned through repeated, prior passive associations creating conditioned responses.
Ivan Pavlov, Russian Scientist
Explain how the child is using language. Include at least 3 grammatical terms in your explanation:
“I sawed free [three] deers!”
Possible responses:
-The child applies past tense rules incorrectly by adding the morpheme “ed” to the word “saw”, showing they haven’t learned rules of exception in grammar.
-The child understands the concept of plural nouns, but adds the morpheme “-s” to the already plural noun “deer”.
-The child does not yet have the capability of pronouncing words that feature consonant digraphs (the “th” sound).
Two word utterances like “car go” or “mummy juice” emerge during this stage of language development.
What is the holophrastic stage?
Create 3 examples of child speech that demonstrate the regulatory function of language from a child in the telegraphic stage.
Answers may vary
Go away!
Give me doll!
Juice pwease
Ms.Costi projected your papers onto the big screen to show you what you were doing both correctly and wrong with written language and analytical thinking. She asked you to evaluate the responses using the proper criteria, and responded with corrections or validation.
She is implementing this pattern into her teachings.
Initiation-Response-Feedback (IRF)
I am a Russian psychologist who strongly believes that cognitive development cannot be fostered without social interaction.
Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)
Explain the difference between a hypernym and a hyponym. Provide 1 example for each.
Hypernym: An overarching group or general category (Mammals)
Hyponym: something more specific to a part of a group or more general category (“bat” is a hyponym of “mammals”.
Jennie: the bug flyed away (2) i think it was a love bug because my mommy showed me it before (1) do you think it went to find his wife^
Based on this adjacency pair, what stage of development could Jennie be at? Use at least 3 technical terms to justify your answer.
Answer: Post-telegraphic.
*able to distinguish between hypernym and hyponym (bug - love bug)
*virtuous error: flyed
* able to execute conjunctions/ complex sentences correctly.
*imaginative function based on limited understanding of the world
This is one Halliday’s functions of language…
I want to go home because I don’t feel very well.
Instrumental
Which theory best fits?
Child: i not tired (2) no no NO
Mom: but time for bed sweetie . look how comfy your bed^ looks
Child: [sees teddy bear on bed] yay teddy tired too (1) lets go bed teddy
[1 day later, 8 p.m.]
Mom: [holding teddy]
Child: lets go bed teddy
Pavlov’s classical conditioning
Chomsky’s selling you snake oil… There’s no proof we have a built-in language processing device!
Humans clearly need a ton of examples and support in order to advance their instinctual abilities.Explain how the child is using language. Include the function(s) of language Billy is using according to Halliday. Determine Infuse 3 linguistic / grammatical terms in your explanation.
Explain something about how the child’s use language reveals his stage of cognitive development.
Billy , age 7, and teacher:
Teacher: Billy, Marnie says you stole her strawberry candies. Is this true? Do you want to sit in time out?
Billy: I did NOT steal the candy because I hate strawberry flavor and I will not sit in time out because I didn’t do it!
Possible response:
Billy is using the regulatory function of language in order to convince the teacher he did not steal Marnie’s candy.
Additionally, he confidently proclaims he does not like strawberry, vocalizing clear aspects of his own identity, which demonstrates the personal function of language. He uses the modal verb “will” to show opposition to the teacher’s proposed consequence, also demonstrating his ability to conceive of events that haven’t happened yet.
He is able to string together multiple ideas with varying conjunctions (because, and) that show understanding of cause-effect relationships. Based on this data alone, this places Billy at either the concrete operational stage or formal operational stage.
Write a fake transcription between a child and his or her parent that demonstrates features of the telegraphic stage. Create at least 3 adjacency pairs.
[answers will vary]
Create a transcript that shows the child using Halliday’s interactional function of language, along with scaffolding techniques the parent uses to develop their child’s social skills. The child is in the post-telegraphic stage.
[answers will vary]
Parent may correct manners by explaining the correct way to ask for something, and ask the child to repeat it.
Child is able to use more advanced syntax and complex sentences, but may make virtuous errors.
Explain at least two limitations of behaviorism completely accounting for how children learn language.
Provide specific examples/ scenarios to support your assertions.
*** Children make up words they have never heard (created past tense verbs that adults don’t use, like “wented”)
***A child is not able to imitate language beyond their level of cognitive development, showing that language does have some link to biology or naturism (any child at age 3 probably wouldn’t be able to imitate the words like “government” or “psychiatrist”)
***not every instance of repetition or positive reinforcement will result in changed behavior. Sometimes a child may not have the cognitive ability to understand certain rewards or consequences.
Create a bio for B.F. Skinner that includes 3 facts.
Response will include:
-Developed concept of Operant conditioning
-Rewards and consequences can reinforce desired behaviors
-American Psychologist (1904-1990)