Language: Why is it important?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO46ii3W07U
A system of words and rules for combining words to
communicate thoughts and feelings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9shPo
uRWCs
Would you go in the correct door?
Components of language:
Phonemes
 Basic, smallest units of sound
 Individual sounds that letters make
 Most languages have 30-50
 English has about 40
Components of language:
Morphemes
 Smallest unit of language with meaning
 Can be words, prefixes, suffixes and compound words
http://educationportal.com/academy/lesson/what-islanguage.html
Grammar
 Rules for the combination and use of words
 Grammar = set of rules in a language
 Syntax = combo of words to form phrases &
sentences
 Semantics = rules that govern the meaning
of words & sentences
 Proposed by Noam Chomsky in the 1960s:
 Surface Structure = the order of words
in a sentence
 Deep Structure = a representation of
underlying meanings in sentences
 See handout 8.15 (on next slide)
Development of Language
 Stages of development
 Cooing
 Babbling
 Single word stage
 Two-word stage
“telegraphic”
 Year 3…complex
sentences
http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_kuhl_th
e_linguistic_genius_of_babies
Learning Theory
 Conditioning &
imitation
 Focuses on the role
of modeling and
rewards
Biological Basis Theory
 Chomsky’s theory of innate
language acquisition

Genetic predisposition to develop
language
 Eric Lenneberg’s Critical Period
Hypothesis

States that there is a sensitive (critical)
period for language development when
learning a language is easier
Language Development
 Secret of the Wild Child
 Full video
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmdycJQi4QA
 Shorter version
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjZolHCrC8E