Language discrimination by newborns

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 85-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franck Ramus
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Newborn Infants ◽  
Temporal Correlation ◽  
Speech Rhythm ◽  
Language Discrimination ◽  
Speech Cues ◽  
Series Of Experiments

Speech rhythm has long been claimed to be a useful bootstrapping cue in the very first steps of language acquisition. Previous studies have suggested that newborn infants do categorize varieties of speech rhythm, as demonstrated by their ability to discriminate between certain languages. However, the existing evidence is not unequivocal: in previous studies, stimuli discriminated by newborns always contained additional speech cues on top of rhythm. Here, we conducted a series of experiments assessing discrimination between Dutch and Japanese by newborn infants, using a speech resynthesis technique to progressively degrade non-rhythmical properties of the sentences. When the stimuli are resynthesized using identical phonemes and artificial intonation contours for the two languages, thereby preserving only their rhythmic and broad phonotactic structure, newborns still seem to be able to discriminate between the two languages, but the effect is weaker than when intonation is present. This leaves open the possibility that the temporal correlation between intonational and rhythmic cues might actually facilitate the processing of speech rhythm.

Recognition of Neonates by Facial-Visual Characteristics

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-504
Author(s):  
Richard H. Porter ◽  
Jennifer M. Cernoch ◽  
Rene D. Balogh
Keyword(s):  
Post Partum ◽  
Newborn Infants ◽  
Sex Identification ◽  
Chance Level ◽  
Visual Features ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Visual Characteristics ◽  
Genetically Determined ◽  
Physical Resemblance

A series of experiments investigated the salience of newborn infants' facial-visual features for recognition and sex identification. Within 33 hours post-partum, mothers recognized photographs of their own offspring when presented with those of unrelated neonates. Furthermore, adult subjects were able to match photographs of unfamiliar mothers and their infants, and determine the sex of neonates, at a greater than chance level of accuracy. Although recognizable facial features are presumably genetically determined, maternal recognition of offspring probably results from brief exposure and familiarization as well as physical resemblance between the infant and other familiar family members, including the mother herself.

The development of measurable speech rhythm during second language acquisition

2008 ◽  
Vol 123 (5) ◽  
pp. 3886-3886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Gutiérrez Díez ◽  
Volker Dellwo ◽  
Núria Gavaldà ◽  
Stuart Rosen
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Speech Rhythm

scholarly journals Bilingual beginnings to learning words

2009 ◽  
Vol 364 (1536) ◽  
pp. 3649-3663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet F. Werker ◽  
Krista Byers-Heinlein ◽  
Christopher T. Fennell
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Experimental Research ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Language Discrimination ◽  
Infancy And Early Childhood

At the macrostructure level of language milestones, language acquisition follows a nearly identical course whether children grow up with one or with two languages. However, at the microstructure level, experimental research is revealing that the same proclivities and learning mechanisms that support language acquisition unfold somewhat differently in bilingual versus monolingual environments. This paper synthesizes recent findings in the area of early bilingualism by focusing on the question of how bilingual infants come to apply their phonetic sensitivities to word learning, as they must to learn minimal pair words (e.g. ‘cat’ and ‘mat’). To this end, the paper reviews antecedent achievements by bilinguals throughout infancy and early childhood in the following areas: language discrimination and separation, speech perception, phonetic and phonotactic development, word recognition, word learning and aspects of conceptual development that underlie word learning. Special consideration is given to the role of language dominance, and to the unique challenges to language acquisition posed by a bilingual environment.

scholarly journals Capturing Cross-linguistic Differences in Macro-rhythm: The Case of Italian and English

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-263
Author(s):  
Leona Polyanskaya ◽  
Maria Grazia Busà ◽  
Mikhail Ordin
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Speech Processing ◽  
Speech Rhythm ◽  
Language Differences ◽  
Linguistic Differences ◽  
Language Difference ◽  
Relative Load ◽  
Higher Regularity ◽  
Cross Language

We tested the hypothesis that languages can be classified by their degree of tonal rhythm (Jun, 2014). The tonal rhythms of English and Italian were quantified using the following parameters: (a) regularity of tonal alternations in time, measured as durational variability in peak-to-peak and valley-to-valley intervals; (b) magnitude of F0 excursions, measured as the range of frequencies covered by the speaker between consecutive F0 maxima and minima; (c) number of tonal target points per intonational unit; and (d) similarity of F0 rising and falling contours within intonational units. The results show that, as predicted by Jun’s prosodic typology (2014), Italian has a stronger tonal rhythm than English, expressed by higher regularity in the distribution of F0 minima turning points, larger F0 excursions, and more frequent tonal targets, indicating alternating phonological H and L tones. This cross-language difference can be explained by the relative load of F0 and durational ratios on the perception and production of speech rhythm and prominence. We suggest that research on the role of speech rhythm in speech processing and language acquisition should not be restricted to syllabic rhythm, but should also examine the role of cross-language differences in tonal rhythm.

scholarly journals Most Preschoolers don't know Most

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jess Sullivan ◽  
Alan Bale ◽  
David Barner
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Order Logic ◽  
Semantic Representations ◽  
Informative Case ◽  
Series Of Experiments

Recently, researchers interested in the nature and origins of semantic representations haveinvestigated an especially informative case study: The acquisition of the word most – aquantifier which by all accounts demands a sophisticated 2nd order logic, and whichtherefore poses an interesting challenge to theories of language acquisition. According tosome reports, children acquire most as early as three years of age, suggesting that it doesnot draw on cardinal representations of quantity (contrary to some formal accounts),since adult-like knowledge of counting emerges later in development. Other studies,however, have provided evidence that children acquire most much later – possibly by theage of 6 or 7 – thereby drawing this logic into question. Here we explore this issue byconducting a series of experiments that probed children’s knowledge of most in differentways. We conclude that children do not acquire an adult-like meaning for most until verylate in development – around the age of 6 – and that certain behaviors which appearconsistent with earlier knowledge are better explained by children’s well-attested bias toselect larger sets (a “more” bias), especially when tested with unfamiliar words.

scholarly journals Restrictions on definiteness in second language acquisition

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia White ◽  
Alyona Belikova ◽  
Paul Hagstrom ◽  
Tanja Kupisch ◽  
Öner Özçelik
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Advanced Proficiency ◽  
Acceptability Judgments ◽  
Negative Existentials ◽  
Definite Expressions ◽  
Definiteness Effect

In this paper we investigate whether learners of L2 English show knowledge of the Definiteness Effect (Milsark, 1977), which restricts definite expressions from appearing in the existential there-insertion construction. There are crosslinguistic differences in how restrictions on definiteness play out. In English, definite expressions may not occur in either affirmative or negative existentials (e.g. There is a/*the mouse in my soup; There isn’t a/*the mouse in my soup). In Turkish and Russian, affirmative existentials observe a restriction similar to English, whereas negative existentials do not. We report on a series of experiments conducted with learners of English whose L1s are Turkish and Russian, of intermediate and advanced proficiency. Native speakers also took the test in English, Turkish, and Russian. The task involved acceptability judgments. Subjects were presented with short contexts, each followed by a sentence to be judged as natural/unnatural. Test items included affirmative and negative existentials, as well as items testing apparent exceptions to definiteness restrictions. Results show that both intermediate and advanced L2ers respond like English native speakers, crucially rejecting definites in negative existentials. A comparison with the groups taking the test in Russian and Turkish confirms that judgments in the L2 are quite different from the L1, suggesting that transfer cannot provide the explanation for learner success.

Typology of rhythm reconsidered: an SLA perspective

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Ploquin
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Speech Rhythm ◽  
Statistical Approaches ◽  
Time Theory

AbstractThis paper offers an analysis of various typologies of speech rhythm with a Second Language Acquisition (SLA) perspective. The notion of isochrony and the enduring stress- and syllable-time theory are shown to be perception-, rather than production-, related. Duration-centered statistical approaches are found to measure phonotactics rather than establish a functional typology. It is further argued that no existing rhythmic typology can be recognized as efficiently organizing data to enable grouping and comparison of languages, a highly coveted tool in SLA. The outline of an SLA relevant classification, taking into account phonological elements and phonetic processes, is sketched.

The role of speech rhythm in language discrimination: further tests with a non-human primate

2005 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Tincoff ◽  
Marc Hauser ◽  
Fritz Tsao ◽  
Geertrui Spaepen ◽  
Franck Ramus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Rhythm ◽  
Language Discrimination ◽  
Human Primate
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