Beyond the Language Module: Musicality as a Stepping Stone Towards Language Acquisition

Understanding the place of consciousness in second language acquisition (SLA) is crucial for an understanding of how acquisition occurs. Considerable work has been done on this topic, but nearly all of it assumes a highly non-modular view, according to which language and its development is ‘nothing special’. As this assumption runs counter to much of the thinking in SLA, there is a need for an account of the place of consciousness within a framework that assumes that core aspects of language compose a distinct module (or modules) of the mind: that language is something special. This article offers such an account within the reasonably well-established MOGUL framework, with its approach to consciousness and the place of consciousness in the cognitive system. After briefly reviewing existing work and then the topics of modularity and consciousness, it presents MOGUL and its treatment of consciousness and then considers the way that this account applies to (1) the initial establishment of linguistic representations in perception, (2) the way these representations are then consolidated, (3) restructuring of the system of representations, and (4) the development of linguistic knowledge outside the language module, i.e. conceptual linguistic knowledge.

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The bottleneck may be the solution, not the problem

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x15000886 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 39 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Arnon Lotem ◽

Oren Kolodny ◽

Joseph Y. Halpern ◽

Luca Onnis ◽

Shimon Edelman

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Language Acquisition ◽

Recent Theory ◽

Cognitive Mechanisms ◽

Selection Pressures ◽

Biological Trait ◽

Memory Bottleneck

AbstractAs a highly consequential biological trait, a memory “bottleneck” cannot escape selection pressures. It must therefore co-evolve with other cognitive mechanisms rather than act as an independent constraint. Recent theory and an implemented model of language acquisition suggest that a limit on working memory may evolve to help learning. Furthermore, it need not hamper the use of language for communication.

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Assessing the Link Between Perception and Production in Cantonese Tone Acquisition

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2018_jslhr-s-17-0430 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 (5) ◽

pp. 1243-1257 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Peggy Pik Ki Mok ◽

Holly Sze Ho Fung ◽

Vivian Guo Li

Keyword(s):

Language Acquisition ◽

General Principle ◽

Choice Task ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Tone Pair ◽

Tone Production ◽

Monosyllabic Words ◽

Early Production ◽

Forced Choice Task ◽

Production Accuracy

Purpose Previous studies showed early production precedes late perception in Cantonese tone acquisition, contrary to the general principle that perception precedes production in child language. How tone production and perception are linked in 1st language acquisition remains largely unknown. Our study revisited the acquisition of tone in Cantonese-speaking children, exploring the possible link between production and perception in 1st language acquisition. Method One hundred eleven Cantonese-speaking children aged between 2;0 and 6;0 (years;months) and 10 adolescent reference speakers participated in tone production and perception experiments. Production materials with 30 monosyllabic words were transcribed in filtered and unfiltered conditions by 2 native judges. Perception accuracy was based on a 2-alternative forced-choice task with pictures covering all possible tone pair contrasts. Results Children's accuracy of production and perception of all the 6 Cantonese tones was still not adultlike by age 6;0. Both production and perception accuracies matured with age. A weak positive link was found between the 2 accuracies. Mother's native language contributed to children's production accuracy. Conclusions Our findings show that production and perception abilities are associated in tone acquisition. Further study is needed to explore factors affecting production accuracy in children. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.7960826

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Rule Invention in the Acquisition of Morphology Revisited

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.3103.425 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 425-431 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Stephen M. Camarata ◽

Lisa Erwin

Keyword(s):

Language Acquisition ◽

Active Role ◽

Acoustic Parameters ◽

Impaired Child ◽

Language Impaired ◽

Intensity Parameters ◽

Suprasegmental Features ◽

Acoustic Analyses ◽

Suprasegmental Cues

This paper presents a case study of a language-impaired child who signaled the distinction between English singular and plural using suprasegmental cues rather than the usual segmental form used within the parent language. Acoustic analyses performed within the first study in the paper revealed that the suprasegmental features used to maintain this distinction included various duration, fundamental frequency, and intensity parameters. Acoustic analyses Were also performed on a set of matched two- and four-item plural forms within a second study. The results of these analyses indicated that the same acoustic parameters were used to distinguish two-item plural forms from four-item plural forms. This case of linguistic creativity is offered as further evidence in support of the model of language acquisition that emphasizes the active role children take in the acquisition process. Additionally, the phonological, morphological, and psycholinguistic factors that may contribute to such rule invention are discussed.

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