Psychology of Human Learning Edfd 302 mgmsantos. Language: the words, their pronunciation, and...

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Psychology of Human LearningEdfd 302

mgmsantos

What is Language?

Language: the words, their pronunciation,

and the methods of combining them, used and understood by a considerable community

What is Language?

a form of communication, whether spoken, written or signed, that is based on a system of symbols

Components of Language

1. Phonology – the sound system of the language

phoneme – the smallest unit of sound that affects meaning

Components of Language

Example: the word CHAT has 3 phonemes or sounds

ch / a / t

Components of Language

2. Morphology – refers to the units of meaning involved in word formation like words, affixes, and parts of speech and intonation/stress.Morpheme – is the smallest component of a word

Components of Language (cont’d)

Example: the word GIRL is 1 morpheme; when you add the suffix S, it will change the meaning and it has now 2 morphemes

Components of Language (contd)

3. Syntax – the system that involves the way words are combined to form acceptable phrases and sentences; the rules of grammar and sentence construction

Components of Language (cont’d)

Example:The cat killed the mouse.The mouse ate the cheese.The farmer chased the cat.

Try to combine these sentences to make a more complex one

Components of Language (contd)

4. Semantics – the system that involves the meaning of words and sentences

Components of Language (contd)

Compare the meanings of the highlighted word in each sentence:

1. She has a good understanding of the problem.

She is a very understanding person.2. Stage 4 cancer is a critical stage.

I hate it when you start being critical of my acts.

Components of Language (contd)

5. Pragmatics system of using appropriate

conversation and knowledge of how to effectively use language in context;

Components of Language (contd)

how language changes from one social situation to another, it may be complex and differ from one culture to another

Example: -- using polite and formal language in public speeches

Stages of Language Development

AGE LANGUAGE MILESTONES

Birth 1 to 2 months

CryingCooing begins

6 months Babbling begins

7 to 11 months Change from universal linguist to language-specific listener

8 to 12 monthsUse gestures such as showing and pointingComprehension of words appear

13 months First word spoken

18 months Vocabulary spurt starts

18 to 24 months

Uses two-word utterances;Rapid expansion of understanding of words

Different Perspectives

1. B.F. Skinner: Behavioristic View of language (1957)

Language development is attributed to environmental influence.

Different Perspectives (contd)

Skinner: children learn language based on reinforcement. When correct utterances are positively reinforced , the child realizes the communicative value of words and phrases, hence, enhancing the child's language development.

Different Perspectives (contd)

2. Noam Chomsky: Universal Grammar (1965)

innate, biological grammatical categories, such as a noun category and a verb category that facilitate the entire language development in children and overall language processing in adults

Different Perspectives (contd)

Chomskyargued that children will never acquire the tools needed for processing an infinite number of sentences if the language acquisition mechanism was dependent on language input alone.

Different Perspectives (contd)

3. Eric Lenneberg: Critical Age Hypothesis (1967)

language acquisition is linked to maturation; the human brain is designed to acquire language at a certain time.

Different Perspectives (contd)

Lenneberg The critical period for language learning is usually defined as lasting from about age 2 to puberty.

Different Perspectives (contd)

Lenneberg After puberty the natural

acquisition of language is thought to be blocked by a loss of ‘cerebral plasticity’ resulting from the completion of cerebral development and lateralization. (McLaughlin , 1984)

Different Perspectives (contd)

LennebergChildren are better second language learners than adults because their brains are specially organized to learn language whereas those of adults are not. (Birdsong, 1999)

Different Perspectives (contd)

4. PiagetLanguage depends on thought for its development, and is based on four sources of evidence:

Different Perspectives (contd)

Piaget (contd)a. The period of infancy b. The simultaneous emergence

of language, deferred imitation, symbolic play, evocative memory, and mental imagery

Different Perspectives (contd)

Piaget (contd)

c. The lack of effect of language upon reasoning abilities in middle childhood

d. The nature of speech in early childhood

Different Perspectives (contd)

5. Vygotsky

• Thought and language are initially separate systems and the two merge at around two years of age, producing verbal thought.

Different Perspectives (contd)

Vygotsky Mental operations are regarded

as embodied in the structure of language, and hence cognitive development results from an internalization of language.

Different Perspectives (contd)

6. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: Linguistic Relativity

The language we speak influences the way we think.

Different Perspectives (contd)

Sapir-Whorf There are certain thoughts of an

individual in one language that cannot be understood by those speaking another language.

Different Perspectives (contd)

7. Wilhelm Von Humboldt: Weltanschauung (World View) Hypothesis

Equated language and thought as inseparable, as language completely determines thought

Different Perspectives (contd)

Humboldt Emphasized “profound semantic” differences between languages which lead to varying “cognitive perspectives” (Cultural relativity)

Language Development

What are your views on bilingual education?

Research Findings“Positron emission tomography

(PET) scans reveal a positive correlation between favorable environmental changes and an increase in synaptic connections among brain cells…”

(Lanzi, Ramey & Ramey, 2007)

Research Findings “Stimulating the brain through

enrichment experiences – good nutrition, toys, playmates, learning opportunities, parental counseling – can prevent a substantial amount of mental retardation and developmental disability…”