Training Generative Repertoires within Agent-Action-Object Miniature Linguistic Systems with Children

1983 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Goldstein
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Sentence Type ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Recombinative Generalization ◽  
Linguistic System ◽  
History Of ◽  
Generative Language ◽  
Lexical Learning ◽  
Nonsense Syllables

This study investigated processes responsible for generative language acquisition through the use of a miniature linguistic system. The miniature linguistic system consisted of nonsense syllables and concrete-enactive, agent-action referents. The purpose of: Experiment 1 was to determine (a) whether children would recombine agent and action constituents to produce novel utterances and (b) whether children would generate further extensions of the linguistic system (e.g., agent-action-object sentences) following training of a novel syntactic construction. Four children (aged 8:8, 7:4, 4:9, and 4:5) produced novel utterances to describe untrained agent-action referents. They also progressed from agent-action learning to producing agent-action-object sentences after training on only one or two examples of this sentence type with the appropriate referents. Experiment 2 explored conditions more likely to facilitate recombinative generalization among preschoolers. In particular, how a history of lexical learning affects subsequent language learning was investigated with seven .4-year-olds. Results indicated that a history of lexical learning greatly enhanced generative production of untrained agent-action utterances. In addition, all seven children learned new syntactic rules to generate three-word utterances, regardless of the orderings of agent, action, and object words. Implications for developing efficient language remediation programs arc discussed.

Sentence Processing by L2 Learners

1980 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Gass
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Verbal Abilities ◽  
Linguistic System ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Child Language Acquisition ◽  
Cognitive Maturity

This paper presents the results of an experiment which investigated the syntactic parsing strategies used by L2 learners at different stages of acquisition. This represents a shift in emphasis from most studies in the field of language learning which deal almost exclusively with production data. The goal of acquisition studies is to understand both the nature of the linguistic system that a learner has acquired and the processes involved in the acquisition of that system. This linguistic knowledge is generally inferred from the perceptive or productive behavior of the learner. There are several reasons why production has been emphasized over perception in second language acquisition research: 1) Research in this area has been greatly affected by studies on child language acquisition in which traditional perception experiments are inappropriate due to a child's lack of cognitive maturity and verbal abilities. 2) Many perception experiments require a paraphrasing ability beyond that of L2 learners in the early stages of acquisition. 3) Problems involving production are more apparent in most pedagogical encounters and, therefore, are of more immediate concern to researchers. Yet, the investigation of perceptual strategies of L2 learners is important, if only because it affords us the possibility of viewing a different corpus of L2 data, thereby giving us additional insight into the nature of the acquisition process.

Effects of Modeling and Corrected Practice on Generative Language Learning of Preschool Children

1984 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Goldstein
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Observational Learning ◽  
Language Intervention ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
Linguistic Complexity ◽  
Generative Language ◽  
Analog Study

A simultaneous treatments design was used to compare the effects of modeling and corrected practice on generative language acquisition of six preschool children. New syntactic forms used to describe agent-action and agent-action-object stimuli were taught concurrently. All six children learned both new syntactic forms. However, generative language learning was accomplished more efficiently with corrected practice, irrespective of the number of words or the linguistic complexity of utterance forms. When modeling was not effective initially, instructing two children to start talking like the model resulted in rapid observational learning. It is suggested that descriptive researchers may have prematurely discounted the possible role of corrected practice in the enhancement of language learning. This analog study indicates that corrected practice should provide a more efficient approach for establishing generalized syntactic responding, at least initially, in language intervention programs.

scholarly journals THE FEATURES OF IDEOLOGIZATION OF GENERAL LINGUISTICS IN UKRAINIAN AND ROMANIAN SCIENCE ABOUT LANGUAGE (THE XXST CENTURY)

2019 ◽  
pp. 107-117
Author(s):  
Sergiy Luchkanyn
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Human Language ◽  
Linguistic Research ◽  
Linguistic System ◽  
Theoretical Linguistics ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
General Linguistics ◽  
Class Nature

The imposition of official state ideology (Marxism-Leninism) is characteristic for Ukrainian and Romanian theoretical linguistics of the middle and second half of the 20th century. It was the leading methodology for solving the problems of nature and essence of the human language. With its help, it was possible to study internal structure of the linguistic system and use linguistic research methods, which are the subject of general linguistics. Issues that are related to the problems of ideology and specific linguistics (Ukrainization, Russification, Romanization, Magyarization, etc.) are not considered and addressed. The subject of research is the penetration of official state ideology into linguistic questions about the nature and essence of language, its reflection in the methods of linguistic research. In Ukrainian Soviet theoretical linguistics of the 1930–1940s, Marism was officially propagated as a proletarian ideology directed against bourgeois comparative studies. Some Ukrainian linguists, following Ivan Meshchaninov (which then was the official head of Soviet linguistics), used the name Marr as a “shield”. They started with quoting Marr in their own works, but that did not affect much the language material investigation (for example, Academician Mykhailo Kalynovych (1888-1949) and others). After appearance of Stalin’s work “Marxism and Problems of Linguistics” (1950), well-known quotes from this work occured widely in Ukrainian and Romanian theoretical linguistics. They were about the class nature of the language, developed the ideas of revolutionary upheavals in it, stated the need for a dialectical combination of language learning with the history of the society. They have been quoted in the linguistic literature of Ukraine until the 22nd Congress of the CPSU (1961). In Romania, they have been quoted until the death of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (1965). Only by this time the development of linguistic structuralism had begun, because the linguistic outlook of the “leader” allowed comprehending lingual facts exclusively within the framework of comparative-historical and descriptive paradigm.

scholarly journals How diverse is child language acquisition?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan Kidd ◽  
Rowena Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Child Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Comprehensive Theory ◽  
Child Language Acquisition ◽  
History Of ◽  
Global North

A comprehensive theory of child language acquisition requires an evidential base that is representative of the typological diversity present in the world’s 7,000 or so languages. However, languages are dying at an alarming rate, and the next 50 years represents the last chance we have to document acquisition in approximately half of them. In the current paper we take stock of the last 45 years of research published in the four main child language acquisition journals: Journal of Child Language, First Language, Language Acquisition, and Language Learning and Development. We coded each article for the following variables: (i) language(s), (ii) topic(s), and (iii) country of author affiliation, from each journal’s inception until the end of 2020. We found that we have at least one article published on around 103 languages, representing only around 1.5% of the world’s languages. The distribution of articles was highly skewed towards English and other well-studied Indo-European languages, with the majority published on non-Indo-European languages having just one paper. There was a more even distribution of topics across language categories, but a vast majority of the research was produced in the Global North. The number of articles published on non-Indo-European languages from countries outside of North America and Europe is increasing; however, this increase is driven by research conducted in relatively wealthy countries. We conclude that, despite a proud history of crosslinguistic research, the goals of the discipline need to be recalibrated before we can lay claim to a truly representative account of child language acquisition.

Language Ideology and Second Language Learning

2008 ◽  
Vol 155 ◽  
pp. 95-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa McGarry
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Ideology ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Explanatory Power

AbstractThe increasing recognition of the concept language ideology and the corresponding increasing use of the term have not yet been matched by applications in the field of second language acquisition. However, applications of the concept in analysis of actual classroom practices have shown it to have considerable explanatory power. Greater consideration of language ideology in SLA is necessary not only to achieve greater understanding of the role of ideology in various areas but also to show connections between these areas that may yield important generalizations and to impel the application of the concept in areas where it has been neglected by highlighting its uneven treatment.

Which came first: Infants learning language or motherese?

2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Bortfeld
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Speech Segmentation ◽  
Learning Language

Although motherese may facilitate language acquisition, recent findings indicate that not all aspects of motherese are necessary for word recognition and speech segmentation, the building blocks of language learning. Rather, exposure to input that has prosodic, phonological, and statistical consistencies is sufficient to jump-start the learning process. In light of this, the infant-directedness of the input might be considered superfluous, at least insofar as language acquisition is concerned.

Engagement in language learning: A systematic review of 20 years of research methods and definitions

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110012
Author(s):  
Phil Hiver ◽  
Ali H. Al-Hoorie ◽  
Joseph P. Vitta ◽  
Janice Wu
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Research ◽  
Active Learner

At the turn of the new millennium, in an article published in Language Teaching Research in 2000, Dörnyei and Kormos proposed that ‘active learner engagement is a key concern’ for all instructed language learning. Since then, language engagement research has increased exponentially. In this article, we present a systematic review of 20 years of language engagement research. To ensure robust coverage, we searched 21 major journals on second language acquisition (SLA) and applied linguistics and identified 112 reports satisfying our inclusion criteria. The results of our analysis of these reports highlighted the adoption of heterogeneous methods and conceptual frameworks in the language engagement literature, as well as indicating a need to refine the definitions and operationalizations of engagement in both quantitative and qualitative research. Based on these findings, we attempted to clarify some lingering ambiguity around fundamental definitions, and to more clearly delineate the scope and target of language engagement research. We also discuss future avenues to further advance understanding of the nature, mechanisms, and outcomes resulting from engagement in language learning.

scholarly journals Studying individual differences in the social environment to better understand language learning and processing

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiri Lev-Ari
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Linguistic Performance ◽  
The Social

AbstractPeople learn language from their social environment. Therefore, individual differences in the input that their social environment provides could influence their linguistic performance. Nevertheless, investigation of the role of individual differences in input on performance has been mostly restricted to first and second language acquisition. In this paper I argue that individual differences in input can influence linguistic performance even in adult native speakers. Specifically, differences in input can affect performance by influencing people’s knowledgebase, by modulating their processing manner, and by shaping expectations. Therefore, studying the role that individual differences in input play can improve our understanding of how language is learned, processed and represented.

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