Theories of Child Language Acquisition and terms
SPOKEN
Lexis terms:
• Holophrases: are single words that express a whole idea. They almost act like a
sentence but are just one word long. Eg: "stuck" might mean ‘help, I'm stuck in this
chair’ or ‘get my feet out of these shoes’
• Gestalt expressions: segmenting two words together into one functioning single
word after a child has heard them spoken. They sound like one word & function like
a sentence E.g: "inthere" for 'put in there' or "wassat" for 'what's that?'.
Typical stages of children’s language:
Proto-word CVCV sounds that are like actual words, but applied
inconsistently to references
Holophrastic stage Single words that relate consistently to identifiable things
Two-word Utterances consisting of two words in a range of patterns
telegraphic Utterances consisting of three or more words, key content words
are used while grammatical function words are left out
Post-telegraphic Utterances where grammatical words are missing from the
telegraphic stage will appear, and clauses begin to link into longer
sentences.
1. Bruner: Social Internation Theory (NURTURE)
Language develops through vital social internation, notably through the adult’s help with
CDS and parentese.
This varies across cultures, such as new guinea having no CDS
Language Acquisition Support System (LASS): support that helps a child activate innate
linguistic capacity
- Supporting case study:
Oxana Malaya, 1991:
Raised by a pack of dogs since the age of 3, she became assimilated with the canine
family. When she was found, she struggled to resume her language development. At age
30, her language skills were that of a 6-year-old.
, 2. Skinner: Behaviorism (NURTURE)
The earliest scientific explanation of language acquisition in environmental
circumstances: reinforcement, conditioning, limitation.
Children mimic speech they hear and require feedback for a response to associate
response with the speech. Operant conditioning: learning through voluntary responses and
their consequences
3. Chomsky: Nativism (NATURE)
Language acquisition device - humans have an innate biological capacity for language
acquisition
Universal grammar - all languages share deep grammatical rules and structures
Poverty of the stimulus - linguistic input received by children is insufficient for them to
learn language complexities.
Critical period - where the brain is particularly receptive to input
4. Piaget: Cognitive Development Theory (NATURE)
Stages of cognitive development:
Sensorimotor (0-2): develops object permanence
Preoperational (2-7): symbolic though
Concrete operational (7-11): logical thought
Formal operational (12+): hypothetical thought
5. Bellugi: 3 stages of a child’s use of negatives
- First: ‘no’ at the start of the utterance
- Second: ‘no’ moves inside the sentence
- Third: ‘no’ attached to verbs (much like adult usage)
6. Phonological Errors
Deletion Deleting final consonant Do(g), da(d)
Substitution Substituting a difficult ‘pip’ for ‘ship
sound for another easier Often: R turns into W or
sound T turns into D
SPOKEN
Lexis terms:
• Holophrases: are single words that express a whole idea. They almost act like a
sentence but are just one word long. Eg: "stuck" might mean ‘help, I'm stuck in this
chair’ or ‘get my feet out of these shoes’
• Gestalt expressions: segmenting two words together into one functioning single
word after a child has heard them spoken. They sound like one word & function like
a sentence E.g: "inthere" for 'put in there' or "wassat" for 'what's that?'.
Typical stages of children’s language:
Proto-word CVCV sounds that are like actual words, but applied
inconsistently to references
Holophrastic stage Single words that relate consistently to identifiable things
Two-word Utterances consisting of two words in a range of patterns
telegraphic Utterances consisting of three or more words, key content words
are used while grammatical function words are left out
Post-telegraphic Utterances where grammatical words are missing from the
telegraphic stage will appear, and clauses begin to link into longer
sentences.
1. Bruner: Social Internation Theory (NURTURE)
Language develops through vital social internation, notably through the adult’s help with
CDS and parentese.
This varies across cultures, such as new guinea having no CDS
Language Acquisition Support System (LASS): support that helps a child activate innate
linguistic capacity
- Supporting case study:
Oxana Malaya, 1991:
Raised by a pack of dogs since the age of 3, she became assimilated with the canine
family. When she was found, she struggled to resume her language development. At age
30, her language skills were that of a 6-year-old.
, 2. Skinner: Behaviorism (NURTURE)
The earliest scientific explanation of language acquisition in environmental
circumstances: reinforcement, conditioning, limitation.
Children mimic speech they hear and require feedback for a response to associate
response with the speech. Operant conditioning: learning through voluntary responses and
their consequences
3. Chomsky: Nativism (NATURE)
Language acquisition device - humans have an innate biological capacity for language
acquisition
Universal grammar - all languages share deep grammatical rules and structures
Poverty of the stimulus - linguistic input received by children is insufficient for them to
learn language complexities.
Critical period - where the brain is particularly receptive to input
4. Piaget: Cognitive Development Theory (NATURE)
Stages of cognitive development:
Sensorimotor (0-2): develops object permanence
Preoperational (2-7): symbolic though
Concrete operational (7-11): logical thought
Formal operational (12+): hypothetical thought
5. Bellugi: 3 stages of a child’s use of negatives
- First: ‘no’ at the start of the utterance
- Second: ‘no’ moves inside the sentence
- Third: ‘no’ attached to verbs (much like adult usage)
6. Phonological Errors
Deletion Deleting final consonant Do(g), da(d)
Substitution Substituting a difficult ‘pip’ for ‘ship
sound for another easier Often: R turns into W or
sound T turns into D
