Namhee Lee, Lisa Mikesell, Anna Dina L. Joaquin, Andrea W. Mates, and John H. Schumann
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195384246
- eISBN:
- 9780199869916
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195384246.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
This book explores a theory of language evolution as a complex adaptive system that exists as a cultural artifact without any requirement for innate abstract grammatical representations. Language ...
More
This book explores a theory of language evolution as a complex adaptive system that exists as a cultural artifact without any requirement for innate abstract grammatical representations. Language acquisition is seen as an emotionally driven process relying on innately specified “interactional instinct.” This genetically-based tendency provides neural structures that entrain children acquiring their native language to the faces, voices, and body movements of conspecific caregivers. It is essentially an innate attentional and motivational system, which drives children to pay attention to the language interaction in their environment and to acquire that language by general learning mechanisms that subserve declarative and procedural knowledge. This mechanism guarantees the ubiquity of language acquisition for all biologically normal children. Second-language acquisition by older adolescents and adults no longer has recourse to this mechanism, and therefore, success in second-language learning is extremely variable. However, in some individuals with sufficient aptitude and motivation, successful second-language acquisition can be achieved.Less
This book explores a theory of language evolution as a complex adaptive system that exists as a cultural artifact without any requirement for innate abstract grammatical representations. Language acquisition is seen as an emotionally driven process relying on innately specified “interactional instinct.” This genetically-based tendency provides neural structures that entrain children acquiring their native language to the faces, voices, and body movements of conspecific caregivers. It is essentially an innate attentional and motivational system, which drives children to pay attention to the language interaction in their environment and to acquire that language by general learning mechanisms that subserve declarative and procedural knowledge. This mechanism guarantees the ubiquity of language acquisition for all biologically normal children. Second-language acquisition by older adolescents and adults no longer has recourse to this mechanism, and therefore, success in second-language learning is extremely variable. However, in some individuals with sufficient aptitude and motivation, successful second-language acquisition can be achieved.
Alan C. L. Yu
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279388
- eISBN:
- 9780191707346
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279388.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Phonetics / Phonology
This book presents a cross-linguistic study of the phenomenon of infixation, typically associated in English with words like nullim-bloody-possiblenull, and found in all the world's major linguistic ...
More
This book presents a cross-linguistic study of the phenomenon of infixation, typically associated in English with words like nullim-bloody-possiblenull, and found in all the world's major linguistic families. Infixation is a central puzzle in prosodic morphology: the book explores its prosodic, phonological, and morphological characteristics; considers its diverse functions, and formulates a general theory to explain the rules and constraints by which it is governed. The book examines 154 infixation patterns from over a hundred languages, including examples from Asia, Europe, Africa, New Guinea, and South America. It compares the formal properties of different kinds of infix, explores the range of diachronic pathways that lead to them, and considers the processes by which they are acquired in first language learning. A central argument of the book concerns the idea that the typological tendencies of language may be traced back to its origins and to the mechanisms of language transmission. The book thus combines the history of infixation with an exploration of the role diachronic and functional factors play in synchronic argumentation: it is an exemplary instance of the holistic approach to linguistic explanation.Less
This book presents a cross-linguistic study of the phenomenon of infixation, typically associated in English with words like nullim-bloody-possiblenull, and found in all the world's major linguistic families. Infixation is a central puzzle in prosodic morphology: the book explores its prosodic, phonological, and morphological characteristics; considers its diverse functions, and formulates a general theory to explain the rules and constraints by which it is governed. The book examines 154 infixation patterns from over a hundred languages, including examples from Asia, Europe, Africa, New Guinea, and South America. It compares the formal properties of different kinds of infix, explores the range of diachronic pathways that lead to them, and considers the processes by which they are acquired in first language learning. A central argument of the book concerns the idea that the typological tendencies of language may be traced back to its origins and to the mechanisms of language transmission. The book thus combines the history of infixation with an exploration of the role diachronic and functional factors play in synchronic argumentation: it is an exemplary instance of the holistic approach to linguistic explanation.
David B. Pisoni, Christopher M. Conway, William G. Kronenberger, David L. Horn, Jennifer Karpicke, and Shirley C. Henning
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195368673
- eISBN:
- 9780199894161
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195368673.003.0003
- Subject:
- Psychology, Developmental Psychology
This chapter explores the large individual differences in speech and language outcomes in deaf children who have received cochlear implants (CIs). It argues that that the variability in performance ...
More
This chapter explores the large individual differences in speech and language outcomes in deaf children who have received cochlear implants (CIs). It argues that that the variability in performance on the traditional clinical outcome measures used to assess speech and language processing skills in deaf children with CIs reflects fundamental differences in the speed of information processing operations such as verbal rehearsal, scanning of items in short-term memory, and the rate of encoding phonological and lexical information in working memory. It is also shown that the sequela of deafness and delay in language are not domain-specific and restricted to only hearing and auditory processing. Other neurocognitive systems display disturbances, and these differences appear to reflect the operation of domain-general processes of cognitive control, self-regulation, and organization.Less
This chapter explores the large individual differences in speech and language outcomes in deaf children who have received cochlear implants (CIs). It argues that that the variability in performance on the traditional clinical outcome measures used to assess speech and language processing skills in deaf children with CIs reflects fundamental differences in the speed of information processing operations such as verbal rehearsal, scanning of items in short-term memory, and the rate of encoding phonological and lexical information in working memory. It is also shown that the sequela of deafness and delay in language are not domain-specific and restricted to only hearing and auditory processing. Other neurocognitive systems display disturbances, and these differences appear to reflect the operation of domain-general processes of cognitive control, self-regulation, and organization.
Ray Jackendoff
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198270126
- eISBN:
- 9780191713255
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198270126.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
Children learn language through exposure to the environment. However, Chomsky's most famous and controversial hypothesis is that the child brings resources to language learning beyond those used for ...
More
Children learn language through exposure to the environment. However, Chomsky's most famous and controversial hypothesis is that the child brings resources to language learning beyond those used for other sorts of learning: he claims that the ability to learn language is in part a cognitive specialization of our species, a ‘Universal Grammar’ that is ‘wired into’ children's brains. This chapter is devoted to a fairly careful exegesis of the Universal Grammar hypothesis, the evidence for it, the arguments against it, and the tensions and challenges it presents to linguistic theory and the other disciplines on which it impinges. It is argued that a suitably nuanced version of the Universal Grammar hypothesis is supportable, and that it should continue to play the central role in linguistic investigation that it has enjoyed since Aspects.Less
Children learn language through exposure to the environment. However, Chomsky's most famous and controversial hypothesis is that the child brings resources to language learning beyond those used for other sorts of learning: he claims that the ability to learn language is in part a cognitive specialization of our species, a ‘Universal Grammar’ that is ‘wired into’ children's brains. This chapter is devoted to a fairly careful exegesis of the Universal Grammar hypothesis, the evidence for it, the arguments against it, and the tensions and challenges it presents to linguistic theory and the other disciplines on which it impinges. It is argued that a suitably nuanced version of the Universal Grammar hypothesis is supportable, and that it should continue to play the central role in linguistic investigation that it has enjoyed since Aspects.
Victor Ginsburgh and Shlomo Weber
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691136899
- eISBN:
- 9781400838905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691136899.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, History of Economic Thought
This chapter begins with a discussion of the incentives to learn foreign languages, ranging from an expected increase in earnings, to the pleasure it can provide through immersion in a different ...
More
This chapter begins with a discussion of the incentives to learn foreign languages, ranging from an expected increase in earnings, to the pleasure it can provide through immersion in a different culture, and having the ability to speak, read, or at least understand the language. Section 1 covers the theoretical models of learning a foreign language. Section 2 gives an example of estimating the resulting demand equations for foreign languages. Section 3 is devoted to the private monetary benefits resulting from the use of the native language of a country to which one migrates to, or the use of foreign languages for those citizens who know the language of their native country. Most econometric results point to relatively large returns on knowing non-native languages in firms that employ these workers.Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of the incentives to learn foreign languages, ranging from an expected increase in earnings, to the pleasure it can provide through immersion in a different culture, and having the ability to speak, read, or at least understand the language. Section 1 covers the theoretical models of learning a foreign language. Section 2 gives an example of estimating the resulting demand equations for foreign languages. Section 3 is devoted to the private monetary benefits resulting from the use of the native language of a country to which one migrates to, or the use of foreign languages for those citizens who know the language of their native country. Most econometric results point to relatively large returns on knowing non-native languages in firms that employ these workers.
Jenny R. Saffran
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195331059
- eISBN:
- 9780199864072
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331059.003.0009
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology
This chapter discusses statistical learning and its role in language acquisition. It focuses on three issues that are implicit in this characterization of statistical learning: the nature of the ...
More
This chapter discusses statistical learning and its role in language acquisition. It focuses on three issues that are implicit in this characterization of statistical learning: the nature of the computations, the complexity of the learning problem, and the role of artificial languages.Less
This chapter discusses statistical learning and its role in language acquisition. It focuses on three issues that are implicit in this characterization of statistical learning: the nature of the computations, the complexity of the learning problem, and the role of artificial languages.
Greg Leigh
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195368673
- eISBN:
- 9780199894161
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195368673.003.0002
- Subject:
- Psychology, Developmental Psychology
This chapter focuses on two developments that will speed up change in the population profile of DHH children: early identification through universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) and early ...
More
This chapter focuses on two developments that will speed up change in the population profile of DHH children: early identification through universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) and early cochlear implantation. Studies show that children identified through UNHS within the first weeks of life have superior development on a wide range of measures, both linguistic and social-emotional, compared with children whose hearing loss was identified at later ages. The literature also provides compelling evidence of an improved rate and level of spoken language development for most children with severe to profound sensory-neural deafness who receive a cochlear implant, provided that they receive consistent input in spoken language. The chapter argues for an alternative approach to early intervention, which seeks to identify — at the earliest possible stage — those children for whom spoken communication may not be entirely accessible and for whom signed communication will likely be necessary to ensure their linguistic, social, cognitive, and emotional development. It then seeks to provide those children with a program focusing on the development of both spoken and signed language (or communication).Less
This chapter focuses on two developments that will speed up change in the population profile of DHH children: early identification through universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) and early cochlear implantation. Studies show that children identified through UNHS within the first weeks of life have superior development on a wide range of measures, both linguistic and social-emotional, compared with children whose hearing loss was identified at later ages. The literature also provides compelling evidence of an improved rate and level of spoken language development for most children with severe to profound sensory-neural deafness who receive a cochlear implant, provided that they receive consistent input in spoken language. The chapter argues for an alternative approach to early intervention, which seeks to identify — at the earliest possible stage — those children for whom spoken communication may not be entirely accessible and for whom signed communication will likely be necessary to ensure their linguistic, social, cognitive, and emotional development. It then seeks to provide those children with a program focusing on the development of both spoken and signed language (or communication).
Bruce Morrison (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789888083640
- eISBN:
- 9789882209299
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888083640.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
Independent learning is not a new concept for language educators, but while teachers, curriculum designers and policy makers have embraced it as underpinning modern notions of education, it remains a ...
More
Independent learning is not a new concept for language educators, but while teachers, curriculum designers and policy makers have embraced it as underpinning modern notions of education, it remains a dynamic and vibrant field for researchers and academics who aim to broaden its scope and deepen our understanding of how it may be applied most effectively both inside and outside the classroom. The contributors to this book use their experience of applying the concepts related to independent learning in various geographical, cultural and pedagogical tertiary-level learning contexts to present new perspectives on how independent learning can inform and support policy, teaching methodology, curriculum development and the nurturing of successful learners. While the first section of the book provides a view of the field from three broad curriculum development perspectives, the remaining chapters primarily focus on the experience of learners, teachers and curriculum developers in applying principles of learner autonomy, self-regulation and self-direction with various types of learner — each with their own identities, motivations, expectations and goals. These learner and teacher stories provide insights that are important for an understanding of some of the impacts an independent learning approach to language learning have on learners in various educational contexts.Less
Independent learning is not a new concept for language educators, but while teachers, curriculum designers and policy makers have embraced it as underpinning modern notions of education, it remains a dynamic and vibrant field for researchers and academics who aim to broaden its scope and deepen our understanding of how it may be applied most effectively both inside and outside the classroom. The contributors to this book use their experience of applying the concepts related to independent learning in various geographical, cultural and pedagogical tertiary-level learning contexts to present new perspectives on how independent learning can inform and support policy, teaching methodology, curriculum development and the nurturing of successful learners. While the first section of the book provides a view of the field from three broad curriculum development perspectives, the remaining chapters primarily focus on the experience of learners, teachers and curriculum developers in applying principles of learner autonomy, self-regulation and self-direction with various types of learner — each with their own identities, motivations, expectations and goals. These learner and teacher stories provide insights that are important for an understanding of some of the impacts an independent learning approach to language learning have on learners in various educational contexts.
Julia Parish-Morris, Shannon M. Pruden, Weiyi Ma, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195311129
- eISBN:
- 9780199776924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195311129.003.0012
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology
This chapter examines how children learn relational terms through the lens of verbs and prepositions. After reviewing evidence that verbs and prepositions are particularly difficult to learn, it ...
More
This chapter examines how children learn relational terms through the lens of verbs and prepositions. After reviewing evidence that verbs and prepositions are particularly difficult to learn, it examines several hypotheses to explain this disparity. The chapter concludes that although children have the foundations necessary to learn these words, they have trouble mapping relational words to their referents.Less
This chapter examines how children learn relational terms through the lens of verbs and prepositions. After reviewing evidence that verbs and prepositions are particularly difficult to learn, it examines several hypotheses to explain this disparity. The chapter concludes that although children have the foundations necessary to learn these words, they have trouble mapping relational words to their referents.
Edward P. Stabler
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195305432
- eISBN:
- 9780199866953
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195305432.003.0010
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Models and Architectures
This chapter reports on research showing that it may be a universal structural property of human languages that they fall into a class of languages defined by mildly context-sensitive grammars. It ...
More
This chapter reports on research showing that it may be a universal structural property of human languages that they fall into a class of languages defined by mildly context-sensitive grammars. It also investigates the issue of whether there are properties of language that are needed to guarantee that it is learnable. It suggests that languages are learnable if they have a finite Vapnik-Chervonenkis (VC) dimension (where the VC dimension provides a combinatorial measure of complexity for a set of languages). Informally, a finite VC dimension requires that there be restrictions on the set of languages to be learned such that they do not differ from one another in arbitrary ways. These restrictions can be construed as universals that are required for language to be learnable (given formal language learnability theory). The chapter concludes by pointing out that formalizations of the semantic contribution (e.g., compositionality) to language learning might yield further insight into language universals.Less
This chapter reports on research showing that it may be a universal structural property of human languages that they fall into a class of languages defined by mildly context-sensitive grammars. It also investigates the issue of whether there are properties of language that are needed to guarantee that it is learnable. It suggests that languages are learnable if they have a finite Vapnik-Chervonenkis (VC) dimension (where the VC dimension provides a combinatorial measure of complexity for a set of languages). Informally, a finite VC dimension requires that there be restrictions on the set of languages to be learned such that they do not differ from one another in arbitrary ways. These restrictions can be construed as universals that are required for language to be learnable (given formal language learnability theory). The chapter concludes by pointing out that formalizations of the semantic contribution (e.g., compositionality) to language learning might yield further insight into language universals.
Eve V. Clark
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195311129
- eISBN:
- 9780199776924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195311129.003.0013
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology
This chapter focuses on how children acquire and learn to use a language, and in particular, how the language addressed to them influences their uptake of new words and their organization of those ...
More
This chapter focuses on how children acquire and learn to use a language, and in particular, how the language addressed to them influences their uptake of new words and their organization of those words into semantic domains. After considering how much vocabulary children have typically learned by the time they reach adulthood, and how they might find out what meanings an unfamiliar word conveys, the chapter takes up the following conventions: what conventions are, the basic role they play in communication, and how they are learned. It then considers some of the ways languages differ from each other, and whether these differences pose any problems in the setting up of semantic domains as children learn the vocabulary of their first language(s). The second half of the chapter looks at some data from English-speaking parents: how they flag new words as new, the kinds of added information they supply along with such words, and how both these sources of information could inform children's setting up of semantic domains. Finally, it discusses how children learn the specific semantic packaging characteristic of their language, and how this is related to the cognitive and perceptual information they also draw on as they set up initial possible meanings.Less
This chapter focuses on how children acquire and learn to use a language, and in particular, how the language addressed to them influences their uptake of new words and their organization of those words into semantic domains. After considering how much vocabulary children have typically learned by the time they reach adulthood, and how they might find out what meanings an unfamiliar word conveys, the chapter takes up the following conventions: what conventions are, the basic role they play in communication, and how they are learned. It then considers some of the ways languages differ from each other, and whether these differences pose any problems in the setting up of semantic domains as children learn the vocabulary of their first language(s). The second half of the chapter looks at some data from English-speaking parents: how they flag new words as new, the kinds of added information they supply along with such words, and how both these sources of information could inform children's setting up of semantic domains. Finally, it discusses how children learn the specific semantic packaging characteristic of their language, and how this is related to the cognitive and perceptual information they also draw on as they set up initial possible meanings.
Judy S. DeLoache and Patricia A. Ganea
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195301151
- eISBN:
- 9780199894246
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195301151.003.0012
- Subject:
- Psychology, Developmental Psychology
This chapter examines some of the growing literature on symbol-based learning in the first few years of life. It focuses on recent research involving two of the most common and influential symbolic ...
More
This chapter examines some of the growing literature on symbol-based learning in the first few years of life. It focuses on recent research involving two of the most common and influential symbolic media in the lives of very young children: language and pictures. It is shown that very young children's learning about the world is based in large part on information provided to them by a variety of symbols — most notably language and pictures.Less
This chapter examines some of the growing literature on symbol-based learning in the first few years of life. It focuses on recent research involving two of the most common and influential symbolic media in the lives of very young children: language and pictures. It is shown that very young children's learning about the world is based in large part on information provided to them by a variety of symbols — most notably language and pictures.
Allan Paivio
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195066661
- eISBN:
- 9780199894086
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195066661.003.0011
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter presents a bilingual version of dual coding theory. It reviews the implications of the theory for some current issues in the psychology of bilingualism, including semantic memory, ...
More
This chapter presents a bilingual version of dual coding theory. It reviews the implications of the theory for some current issues in the psychology of bilingualism, including semantic memory, episodic memory, second language learning. The theory leads to a strong emphasis on the role of situational contexts and imagery in second language learning. In particular, the theory suggests that language-learning strategies based on the systematic use of referent objects, pictures, activities, and mental imagery would be especially effective in promoting learning.Less
This chapter presents a bilingual version of dual coding theory. It reviews the implications of the theory for some current issues in the psychology of bilingualism, including semantic memory, episodic memory, second language learning. The theory leads to a strong emphasis on the role of situational contexts and imagery in second language learning. In particular, the theory suggests that language-learning strategies based on the systematic use of referent objects, pictures, activities, and mental imagery would be especially effective in promoting learning.
Kelly S. Mix, Linda B. Smith, and Michael Gasser (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199553242
- eISBN:
- 9780191720444
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199553242.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
In this book, we ask how space, language, and thought interact in learning and development. This encompasses not only how children learn about space and spatial language, but also how language and ...
More
In this book, we ask how space, language, and thought interact in learning and development. This encompasses not only how children learn about space and spatial language, but also how language and cognition are grounded in space. People think and act in a spatial medium. How does this impact language learning? How does it frame human concepts? Does the acquisition of language change the way we experience space? The chapters gathered here represent a broad range of perspectives on these questions. They are authored by experts in cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, computer science, philosophy, and linguistics.Less
In this book, we ask how space, language, and thought interact in learning and development. This encompasses not only how children learn about space and spatial language, but also how language and cognition are grounded in space. People think and act in a spatial medium. How does this impact language learning? How does it frame human concepts? Does the acquisition of language change the way we experience space? The chapters gathered here represent a broad range of perspectives on these questions. They are authored by experts in cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, computer science, philosophy, and linguistics.
Susan Carey
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195367638
- eISBN:
- 9780199867349
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195367638.003.0007
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology
This chapter touches on some relations between core cognition and language. It distinguishes the strong linguistic continuity hypothesis that emerges from the language-acquisition literature with two ...
More
This chapter touches on some relations between core cognition and language. It distinguishes the strong linguistic continuity hypothesis that emerges from the language-acquisition literature with two broad ways language learning might affect thought called “weak linguistic influence” and “Quinian linguistic determinism”, respectively. At issue is the continuity thesis mentioned in Chapter 1: the thesis that the resources needed to express all concepts humans can represent are available throughout development, even at the beginning. Two case studies—representations of quantifiers and representations of object kind sortals—illustrate what is at stake and how the arguments go. The chapter reviews evidence for an influence of language learning on nonlinguistic representations in each of these cases, and concludes with arguments that these particular cases reflect weak linguistic influences, at most, and not Quinian linguistic determinism.Less
This chapter touches on some relations between core cognition and language. It distinguishes the strong linguistic continuity hypothesis that emerges from the language-acquisition literature with two broad ways language learning might affect thought called “weak linguistic influence” and “Quinian linguistic determinism”, respectively. At issue is the continuity thesis mentioned in Chapter 1: the thesis that the resources needed to express all concepts humans can represent are available throughout development, even at the beginning. Two case studies—representations of quantifiers and representations of object kind sortals—illustrate what is at stake and how the arguments go. The chapter reviews evidence for an influence of language learning on nonlinguistic representations in each of these cases, and concludes with arguments that these particular cases reflect weak linguistic influences, at most, and not Quinian linguistic determinism.
Carol Benson
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199755011
- eISBN:
- 9780199918867
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199755011.003.0009
- Subject:
- Psychology, Developmental Psychology
Early literacy, relevant content learning and effective classroom communication is necessary for education to make a difference in marginalized children’s lives. Teaching in the learner’s home ...
More
Early literacy, relevant content learning and effective classroom communication is necessary for education to make a difference in marginalized children’s lives. Teaching in the learner’s home language has the potential to make schools more inclusive and participatory, and will go a long way to attracting children to school, keeping them in school, helping them succeed in learning literacy and other curricular content, and giving them an equitable opportunity to participate in society. This chapter examines the obstacles to learning that result from teaching students in a foreign language, and reviews the evidence of how and why learners’ home languages should be used for literacy and learning. It argues that teaching additional languages should be part of a systematic approach to the school curriculum through bi- or multilingual education. The chapter discusses policymaking with regard to languages in education, explores where the problems lie and concludes with strategies for moving forward.Less
Early literacy, relevant content learning and effective classroom communication is necessary for education to make a difference in marginalized children’s lives. Teaching in the learner’s home language has the potential to make schools more inclusive and participatory, and will go a long way to attracting children to school, keeping them in school, helping them succeed in learning literacy and other curricular content, and giving them an equitable opportunity to participate in society. This chapter examines the obstacles to learning that result from teaching students in a foreign language, and reviews the evidence of how and why learners’ home languages should be used for literacy and learning. It argues that teaching additional languages should be part of a systematic approach to the school curriculum through bi- or multilingual education. The chapter discusses policymaking with regard to languages in education, explores where the problems lie and concludes with strategies for moving forward.
Fiona Cowie
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195159783
- eISBN:
- 9780199849529
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195159783.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
In contrast to what others may commonly believe, reflecting on the poverty of the stimulus does not sustain or reinforce the notion of learning a language within nativism. Also, although initially ...
More
In contrast to what others may commonly believe, reflecting on the poverty of the stimulus does not sustain or reinforce the notion of learning a language within nativism. Also, although initially opposed, there are a lot more explanatory resources to empiricism than it is given credit for, particularly on issues regarding the domain-neutral mechanism for learning. While the enlightened empiricist would believe that the mechanism for language learning is general in purpose and that the theory choices of learners would be attributed to the knowledge about language that they have already obtained through experience, enlightened empiricism supports the nativist view that learning is restricted by task-specific knowledge and the constraints involved are not fixed. This chapter focuses on linguistics and examines how universal grammar is important in the processes involved in learning a language.Less
In contrast to what others may commonly believe, reflecting on the poverty of the stimulus does not sustain or reinforce the notion of learning a language within nativism. Also, although initially opposed, there are a lot more explanatory resources to empiricism than it is given credit for, particularly on issues regarding the domain-neutral mechanism for learning. While the enlightened empiricist would believe that the mechanism for language learning is general in purpose and that the theory choices of learners would be attributed to the knowledge about language that they have already obtained through experience, enlightened empiricism supports the nativist view that learning is restricted by task-specific knowledge and the constraints involved are not fixed. This chapter focuses on linguistics and examines how universal grammar is important in the processes involved in learning a language.
Fiona Cowie
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195159783
- eISBN:
- 9780199849529
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195159783.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
Regardless of whether Chomsky's grammar constraints may be learned from experience of not, the author argues that there is no “back door” to nativism. In relation to finding out whether there exists ...
More
Regardless of whether Chomsky's grammar constraints may be learned from experience of not, the author argues that there is no “back door” to nativism. In relation to finding out whether there exists a special faculty for language learning, the author presents how she, on a more personal note and in terms of language acquisition, is more inclined to going with a weak nativist position since she believes that learning a language would probably entail one or more faculties of mind as a basis. Although the open question remains about how nativism may be associated with the acquisition of language, examining the available evidence would lean towards a faculties hypothesis.Less
Regardless of whether Chomsky's grammar constraints may be learned from experience of not, the author argues that there is no “back door” to nativism. In relation to finding out whether there exists a special faculty for language learning, the author presents how she, on a more personal note and in terms of language acquisition, is more inclined to going with a weak nativist position since she believes that learning a language would probably entail one or more faculties of mind as a basis. Although the open question remains about how nativism may be associated with the acquisition of language, examining the available evidence would lean towards a faculties hypothesis.
Peter Sercombe
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199544547
- eISBN:
- 9780191720260
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544547.003.0011
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
This chapter considers the nomadic Eastern Penan, the most socio-economically disadvantaged ethnic group in Borneo, and their endangered language. It provides a brief outline of the sociocultural ...
More
This chapter considers the nomadic Eastern Penan, the most socio-economically disadvantaged ethnic group in Borneo, and their endangered language. It provides a brief outline of the sociocultural circumstances of the Eastern Penan and discusses challenges of language maintenance. A modest lexicographic project for the language aims to complement the development of first language literacy among lower primary school Eastern Penan children, as well as foster the maintenance of Eastern Penan and facilitate second and foreign language learning.Less
This chapter considers the nomadic Eastern Penan, the most socio-economically disadvantaged ethnic group in Borneo, and their endangered language. It provides a brief outline of the sociocultural circumstances of the Eastern Penan and discusses challenges of language maintenance. A modest lexicographic project for the language aims to complement the development of first language literacy among lower primary school Eastern Penan children, as well as foster the maintenance of Eastern Penan and facilitate second and foreign language learning.
Ann Senghas
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195311129
- eISBN:
- 9780199776924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195311129.003.0002
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology
Where do words come from? As we consider the thousands of words in our language today, we see many sources: modern words came from older words, words that came from other languages. But what if we ...
More
Where do words come from? As we consider the thousands of words in our language today, we see many sources: modern words came from older words, words that came from other languages. But what if we wanted to start at the very beginning, to create a new language without predecessors to draw from? This chapter follows the beginning stages of a new language as some of its first words are being created. It asks whether words are the first part of the language to emerge, or whether they, in turn, come from something else. The emerging language considered is Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL). NSL is so young that its originators are around today, able to show us its earliest forms. These deaf Nicaraguans offer the rare opportunity to follow a language as it is created from its raw beginnings.Less
Where do words come from? As we consider the thousands of words in our language today, we see many sources: modern words came from older words, words that came from other languages. But what if we wanted to start at the very beginning, to create a new language without predecessors to draw from? This chapter follows the beginning stages of a new language as some of its first words are being created. It asks whether words are the first part of the language to emerge, or whether they, in turn, come from something else. The emerging language considered is Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL). NSL is so young that its originators are around today, able to show us its earliest forms. These deaf Nicaraguans offer the rare opportunity to follow a language as it is created from its raw beginnings.
