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Language - Coggle Diagram
Language
Components
Semantics
- Meaning of words & sentences
- Morpheme: smallest meaningful unit
- Free morphemes: standalone words, e.g. dog
- Bound morphemes: change meaning, e.g. -s
Syntax
- Structure - rules to combine words into meaningful sentences
- Semantics and word order
Morphology
- How words are formed from sounds
- e.g. adding endings
Pragmatics
- How to communicate effectively / appropriately
- Sociolinguistic knowledge: culturally specific
- Non-verbal signals: face, intonation, gestures
Phonology
- Phonemes: units of sound
- Sounds & rules for combining them
-
Theories
Learning / Empiricist
- Imitation & reinforcement
- BUT reinforce semantics more than grammar; early sentences creative / not imitated
Interactionist
- Biologically prepared + cognitive (brain) dev + environment
- Environment: joint activities (reading), motherese / child-directed speech, negative evidence (expansion, recasting) & topic extension (if correct), conversation (not listening),
Nativist
- Complexity -> biologically programmed
- Language acquisition device: inborn processor activated by verbal input, contains universal grammar (Chomsky)
- Language making capacity (LMC): cognitive / perceptual abilities specialised for learning (Slobin)
- Pros: linguistic universals (milestones at same age), only humans, brain specialisation (Broca's - production, Wernicke's - comprehension), sensitive-period hypothesis (easier / diff early in life)
- BUT other species auditory discriminate, LAD doesn't explain
Early
Holophrastic (13-18m)
Vocabulary & Semantics
- Naming explosion at 18-24m
- Primarily objects (moving or manipulable) or actions
-
Definition: single word
- Entire sentence of meaning
- Constrained by motor-vocal skill level
Styles
- Referential: naming) or
- Expressive: feelings & regulate social interactions
- Birth order: first born = referential
- Culture: US = referential, Japanese = expressive
Telegraphic (18-24m)
Pragmatics
- Use gestures & non-verbal
- Use turn taking
- Know sociolinguistic (polite)
- Tailor to audience
- Clarify after responses
Definition: content words only
- Constrained by processing / production
- Depends on context
Telegraphic words
- Acquire most obvious first (content words & word order in English)
- Follow some grammatical rules
Pre-linguistic (0-13m)
Vocalisations
- Cooing - 2m: vowel-like noises, e.g. oooh
- Babbling - 4-6m: consonants, e.g. bababa - match tonal quality of language
- Vocables - 10-12m: sounds for particular situations, e.g. mmmm = request, aaah = object
Gestures & non-verbal responses
- Gestures (8-10m) -> representational, like words (1-2y)
- Declarative gestures: direct attention (point, touch)
- Imperative gestures: request (point, tug on leg)
- Understand meaning (12-13m) - receptive language (comprehension) ahead of productive language (expression)
Preschool
Semantic
Relational contrasts
- Big/little: normative (compared to normal), perceptual (compared to another), functional (compared to use)
Passive
- Misinterpreted & rarely produced
- Because rarely used
Pragmatic
- Tailor to audience
- Poor referential communication skills: detect ambiguity in literal meaning & ask for clarification, BUT guess fromcontext
Grammar
Grammatical morphemes
- Modifiers, e.g. -s, -ing/-ed, 's, in/on
- Acquire in same order, diff timing - earlier if less complex syntactically & semantically
- Overregularise: irregular verbs e.g. She goed - rare
Transformational grammar
- Syntax rules to transform declarative -> other
- Speak like adult by 5-6
Questions
- Declarative with intonation (yes/no) + wh- at start
- Use aux verb
- Use correct word order
Negation
- Add no to start of statement
- Add no before modified word
- Use correct aux verb
Other (age 3)
- Relative clauses 'box they put it in'
- Conjunctions: and
- Embedded sentences
- Intricate questions