Chapter 15: Lang. Acquisition
As coffee is an acquired taste…
KidSpeak…
Other examples of “KidSpeak”?
FLA: More than Imitation
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To learn one’s first language:
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Learn words
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Recognize relationships
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Derivational & Inflectional morphemes
Sentence order
Word collocations
Semantics
Pragmatics
Make generalizations
The Enablers
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Innate Grammar
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Motherese
Cognitive Development
Feedback
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No genetic predisposition…
You catch more flies with honey…
Recasting
Critical period
Syntax
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One-Word Stage
Two-Word Stage
Telegraphic Stage
Movement Rules
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Y/N Questions
WH Questions
Passive
Reflexive & Pronouns
Morphology
Kids Acquisition
1.
(abbreviated)
-ing
the, a
2. -ing
1.
plural -s
3. possessive -’s
2.
4.
Parents Usage
the, a
3.
4.
past tense -ed
6. 3rd pers. sing. -s
7. auxillary BE
5.
So what…?
5.
6.
7.
plural -s
auxillary BE
possessive -’s
3rd pers. sing. –s
past tense -ed
Morphology
Kids Acquisition
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-ing
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plural -s
possessive -’s
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the, a
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past tense -ed
3rd pers. sing. -s
auxillary BE
Question:
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Would you expect
exactly the same
order in Spanish,
German & Chinese
kids?
(Ex. 9)
Lexicon: Common 1st Words
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Daddy, mommy, baby…
Juice, milk, cookie, water, apple…
Dog, cat, duck, horse… Car, boat…
Shoes, hat… Ball, blocks… Bottle, key…
Hot, all-gone, dirty, cold, here, there…
Up, sit, see, eat, go, down… Hi, bye…
Whaddya think: Why these words….?
Morphological Acquisition
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Phrase final elements
Syllabicity
Intolerance of Ambiguity
≠ Homophony
≠ Exceptional
≠ Allophonic
= Clear Semantics
The Ways We Learn (& Err)
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Whole Object Assumption
Type Assumption
Basic Similarities Assumption
Overextension
Underextension
Verb meanings
Dimensions
Any Questions…
…before we move on?
(next: Phonology)
Phonological Development
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She said “da-da”
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Babbling
Put one foot in front of the other…
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Vowels
Stops
Labials
Word-initial
Reception
before
“
“
“
“
Consonants
Fricatives/Affricates
Velars
Word-final
Production
Early Phonetic Production
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Substituted segments
Deleted syllables
Deleted final consonant
Reduced consonant clusters
More Examples?
Get Some Exercise
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What phonetic processes are evident in the
pronunciation of a 2 yr old below?
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pocket
spoon
zoo
bath
grandma
[bα]
[bun]
[du]
[bæt]
[gαgα]
What might we hear for:
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juice
under
From Previous Slide:
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Substituted segment
Deleted syllables
Deleted final consonant
Reduced consonant clusters
KidSpeak…
Linguistically Realistic?
Any Questions…
…before we move on?
(next: Researching)
Foundations
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Innate grammar
Methods
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Naturalistic
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We’re taking the video anyway…
Longitudinal
Experimental
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Focused on a point
Cross-sectional
Wug Test
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One Wug
Two _____
Get Some Exercise
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One Naturalistic study found only 12 of
60 children used a passive structure.
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(2)
Does this mean the other 48 had not yet
acquired the passive structure?
How does this example reflect on the “pros
& cons” of the Naturalistic approach?
Other Pros/Cons to
Naturalistic/Behavioral Approaches?
Any Questions…
…before we move on?
(next: Second Language Acquistion)
“Gina is by lingual… that
means she can say the same
thing twice, but you can only
understand it once.”
Comparing FLA & SLA
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FLA
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SLA
 Blank slate
 Intensive input
 Adaptability
 Competition
 Peripheral input
 Less flexible
 Reduced cognition
 Less experience
 Expanded cognition
 More Experience
Motivation Matters
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Instrumental
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Goal oriented
Integrative
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Community based
Whaddya Think?
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Acquiring a second language involves
both KNOWING something about the
language and BEING ABLE TO DO
SOMETHING with the language.
How do you think that knowledge and
skills are related?
What is an acceptable trade-off
between accuracy and fluency?
Competence & Performance
L2
L1
Interlanguage
Interlanguage
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Transference
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L1 competence in L2 performance
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Pre-nominal ADJs in Spanish of English native
“e” b/4 initial ‘sk’ in English of Spanish native
Fossilization
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Interlanguage ‘errors’ become ‘rules’
Will I (they) Ever Get It?
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Age
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Critical Period Hypothesis
Idiosyncrasies
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Affective issues
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Cognitive issues
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cf. Krashen’s Filter
Positive (Direct) Evidence
Negative (Indirect) Evidence
Learning environment
Whenever we speak…
Language
Competence
Organizational
Competence
Grammatical
Competence
Vocabulary
Strategic
Competence
Pragmatic
Competence
Textual
Competence
Cohesion
Illocutionary
Competence
Rhetorical
Organization
Dialect
Syntax
Morphology
Phonology
Typical
Language
Instruction
Sociolinguistic
Competence
Functional
Abilities
Cultural
References
Register
Interlanguage Phonology
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Markedness Differential Hypothesis
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Similarity Differential Rate Hypothesis
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Linguistic universals
~ If it’s uncommon, it’ll be harder to acquire
Similarity breeds confusion…
Syllabification
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Once a syllable, always a syllable…
A stressful situation
Exercise
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A dialect of Arabic breaks up clusters by
inserting an epenthetic vowel in front of
an unsyllabified consonant. How would
a speaker of this dialect pronounce the
following words?
plant
transport
translate
Exercise
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(some more)
Given what you know about
implicational universals, do you think it
would be easier for an English speaker
to acquire French nasal vowels (e.g.
gant [gã] ‘glove’) or for a French
speaker to acquire English oral vowels?
Exercise
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(again)
What explanation would you give for a
native speaker of French who produced
the English sentence ‘I drink frequently
coffee’ ?
How could you explain to this person
that ‘He is frequently late’ is
grammatical?
Do any other English verbs have the
same properties as BE ?
Interlanguage Morphology
L1 Acquisition
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-ing
plural –s
irregular past
possessive -’s
copula (main verb) BE
articles the, a, an
regular past -ed
3rd pers. sing. -s
auxillary BE
L2 Acquisition
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-ing
copula (main verb) BE
articles the, a
auxillary BE
plural -s
irregular past
regular past -ed
3rd pers. sing. –s
possessive -’s
Morphology Exercise
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Second language learners, regardless of
their first language, produce forms like
goed, sheeps, and could decided even
though they never hear these from a
native speaker. Why?
What are some other forms you might
expect to hear?
Bilingualism
L2
L1
(w/ & w/o Fossilization)
Bilingual
production
L½
L1
Persistent
Errors
Fossilization: Whaddya think?
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What factors influence fossilization?
What might make some people
more likely to fossilize than others?
Can fossilization be reversed?
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If no: why not?
If yes:
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Under what circumstances?
What strategies might be most effective?
In the Classroom
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Modified Input
 Teacher talk ( i +1)
Modified Interaction
 Discourse differences
Focus on Form
 Explicit Language Instruction
 Error Correction
 Self-monitoring & correction
Bilingual Education
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Almost 10% of school kids = ESoL
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Bilingual Education
English-Only ESL
Newcomer Programs
Heritage Language Programs
Over 500% increase
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ESoL kids in SC from 1994 - 2004
Education: Whaddya think?
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Roughly 75% of all non-native
speakers of English in K-12 schools
will drop out by or before the 10th
grade.
What SLA issues share in this issue?
What can we do about it?