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English Structures
First Language Acquisition
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Review and Introduction
In the last lesson we looked at where and how language is processed in the brain, and we also considered how language interrelates with thought. Vygotsky suggests that language and thought begin as separate abilities that begin to intertwine at about age two. This suggestion leads to a new question: by what processes do thought and language develop across the life of an individual? At what point to they begin to intertwine, and what happens after that beginning point?
This lesson looks closely at the process through which a child develops language. Although the question of how thought devlops is of interest, too, it will not be described with the level of detail devoted to language acquisition. However, the final section will consider how the interrelationship of thought and language develops along with the acquisition of language.
Defining First Language Acquisition
First language acquisition refers to how a child develops its ability
to speak and use the language of its environment: its native
language or languages.
Language is part of the environment that a child is born into, and it is even part of the environment before birth. Therefore, first language acquisition begins at or before birth. This means we have to begin by talking about babies.
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Activity: Describing Baby Talk
Consider the following questions:
When people talk baby talk,
what are they doing differently from talking regular talk?
And why is it called baby talk?
Discussion - Lesson 3, Page 1
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Stages of First Language Acquisition
There are roughly six stages of acquisition:
- Prelinguistic Stage
- Babbling Stage
- First Words
- Two-word Stage
- Telegraphic Stage
- Beyond Telegraphic Stage
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| 1. The Prelinguistic Stage |
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The prelinguistic stage ranges from birth to approximately 6 months. Noises in this stage include crying, whimpering, and cooing. These sounds are not considered language because they are involuntary responses to stimuli. Linguists consider human language creative – as free from internal or external stimuli. Since these noises do not fit within the definition of language, this stage occurs before language is produced by the child. It is, therefore, the prelinguistic stage.
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During this stage, babies’ vocal tracts are more like an animal’s than an adult human’s. The larynx is high, there is no pharynx, and the epiglottis and velum can be in contact with each other. Additionally, the velum cannot firmly close off nasal cavity, so all sounds are nasalized. The tongue fills the entire mouth and is controlled by external muscles. Extrinsic muscle control of the tongue only allows the tongue to be "shoved" in and out, up and down, as a whole. Some muscular contractions of the tongue itself are possible, but tongue body constrictions are the only ones that can be produced. This accounts for nature of (early cooing).
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Images from: http://www.unc.edu/~tofu/ling101/loggrab/vt-development.pdf |
One development in the ability to produce sounds seems to occur in this
stage. At about two months, infants seem to be able to coo voluntarily,
whereas previously they were only able to make sounds involuntarily.
Even though infants can’t produce linguistic sounds, they can perceive them. This stage might more appropriately be called the pre-production stage. Infants alter their sucking patterns when presented with a phonetic distinction in sounds. The alteration in sucking shows an awareness of the change in sound, but infants do not seem to attach meaning to the changes in sounds. They only register that they notice them. This awareness is exhibited as early as one month old.
Infants can differentiate between sounds that are allophones in a language that adult speakers of that language have learned to ignore, such as [p] and [ph].
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Activity: Listening to a Prelinguistic Baby
Click here to hear an infant near the end of the prelinguistic stage.
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Continue to Part 2 |
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American Sign Language The sign language used by the deaf community in the United States.
Test of English for International Communication. A standardized exam for Educational Testing Services that is intended to determine the general capability of an NNSE to use English to conduct business. It is used by some businesses, predominantly in Asia, in hiring.
Test of English as a Foreign Language. A standardized exam from Educational Testing Services that is intended to determine the general capability of an NNSE to use English as the language of insruction .It is used as an admissions requirement by most US universities and colleges for international students.
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. A term that encompasses both TEFL and TESL. It is the name of the professional organization to which many teachers belong. TESOL the organization has many regional affiliates both in the US and abroad.
Teaching English as Second Language. Refers to the activity of teaching the English language as a tool necessary for some daily task like instruction, shopping, or interpersonal interactions.
Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Refers to the activity of teaching the English language as an intellectual, academic pursuit to non-native speakers of English.
Native Speaker of English. Refers to a person who acquired English in infancy and young childhood as a first language.
Native Speaker. Refers to a person whose relationship to a language is that it was encountered in infancy and young childhood as the dominant language of the environment.
Non-Native Speaker of English. Refers to a person who didn't acquire English as a first language, but came to it after another language was established.
Non-Native Speaker. Refers to a person whose relationship to a particular language is that he/she didn't encounter it while initially acquiring language, but came to it after another language was established.
Limited English Proficient. An adjectival phrase used to refer to the same students as ELL refers to. LEP is falling into disuse as it focuses attention on student deficiency rather than on the positive attribute of learning. Is being replaced by ELL.
Second Language. Refers to any language gained subsequent to the first or native language. It is acquired or learned secondarily to the native language. Doesn't refer to the ordinal numbering of languages, only to the relationship of a particular language to a persons native language.
First Language. Refers to the language that an individual encounters as an infant and young child; a persons native language.
English for Specific Purposes. Refers to the goal of learning English to use it for highly focused activity, such as for business or for aviation communication.
English as a Second Language Program. refers to a school program that is purposefully structured to provide instruction on the English language to NNSEs. An ESL program does not typically include instruction in any other subjects than English. An ESL program may be a component of a larger ELL program at a school.
English as a Second Language. Refers to the subject matter of the English language and the methodology for teaching the English language to non-native speakers. ESL makes no reference to the subjects other than English, but it is not methodology alone either, it refers to teaching the English language as content area. Typically, ESL refers to the study of English in a country where it is used for at least one daily task, such as instruction, interpersonal relations, or shopping.
English Langauge Learner Program. Refers to a school program that is purposly structured to provide instruction on the English language and instruction in other content areas to English Language Learners.
English Language Learner. Refers to students who are in the process of learning English, whether they are in ESL classes exclusively or a combination of ESL classes and other subject area classes.
English as a Foreign Langauge. Refers to the study of English as an intellectual, academic pursuit, not a a language whose use is necessary or desirable for daily life, although it may be used as a research tool. Typically, EFL is the study of English in a country where English is not a language of instruction or daily interactions, such as in Italy or in Saudi Arabia.
English for Academic Purposes. Refers to the goal of learning English to use it as the language of instruction for other subject areas.
Refers to a school program that is purposely structured so that students will use two languages on a daily basis.
Refers to the use of two languages in any capacity on a daily basis. A bilingual person uses two languages on a daily basis--for work and at home, perhaps, or for different subjects at school. Can also refer to the ability to use two languages, even if not used daily.
