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Beginning of Language Learning. Language learning emerges from general communication skills. Emotion “Motherese/Parentese”:Special form of speech that caregivers use with children to convey meaning through sound patterns. Gesture
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Beginning of Language Learning • Language learning emerges from general communication skills. • Emotion • “Motherese/Parentese”:Special form of speech that caregivers use with children to convey meaning through sound patterns. • Gesture • After six months the infant begins to follow pointing gestures. • At 8-10 months pincer grips develops and infant begins to point. • Nonverbal communication skills at 13 months predict language ability up to 5 years of age (Ulvund & Smith, 1996)
Hurdles to Learning to Understand Spoken Language • Segmenting the continuous speech input into words • Associating a novel word with its meaning.
Speech Segmentation • Segmenting the continuous speech input into words • Characteristic stress pattern • High frequency items • Motherese • Touch or use child’s name when starting. • Use a high pitched voice • Speak slowly with extra pauses • Repeat instructions • Analysis-by synthesis through babbling • Associating a novel word with its meaning.
Learning A Word’s Meaning • Segmenting the continuous speech input into words • Associating a novel word with its meaning. • Social cues • Attention cues • Novelty
Vocabulary Growth • Phonological loop critical for early vocabulary growth. • Correlation of 0.5 between nonword repetition and vocabulary for children 4-5 years old. • By the time a student enters college they have learned 6-10 words a day between the ages of 5 and 18 and know about 50,000 words.
Categorization • Categories give information not present in the input stimulus. • As children get older, their category structures become more sophisticated: • Living & non-living. • Artifacts (functional) & other objects. • Events & physical objects. • Intentional events & other events. • Abstract concepts & events • Family resemblances.
Reading • Initially learned through letter-sound conversion, which makes English particularly difficult, but then uses direct vision-to-meaning route. • Even first graders use direct route. • Reading has a large effect on: • vocabulary growth. • development of grammar. • general cognitive functioning.