Learning about Words Learning about Words Announcements - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

LIGN171: Child Language Acquisition http://ling.ucsd.edu/courses/lign171 http://ling.ucsd.edu/courses/lign171 LIGN171: Child Language Acquisition Learning about Words Learning about Words

Announcements Announcements � No section on Monday, April 21 No section on Monday, April 21 st st � � Alex Alex’ ’s office hours can be extended on s office hours can be extended on � Thursday (the 24 th th ) if necessary (contact ) if necessary (contact Thursday (the 24 him) him) � Lila Lila Gleitman Gleitman today at 4 pm in CSB 003! today at 4 pm in CSB 003! � Title: “ “Hard Words: Hard Words: Why word learning is Why word learning is Title: hard (and why it’ ’s easy all the same) s easy all the same)” ” hard (and why it

Infant Speech Production Infant Speech Production Stage Stage Typical Age Typical Age Description Description Cooing 2- -3 months 3 months Interactional but non but non- -linguistic linguistic Cooing 2 Interactional vocalizations vocalizations Marginal Babbling 4- -6 months 6 months Transition between cooing and Marginal Babbling 4 Transition between cooing and babbling babbling Canonical Babbling 7- -12 months 12 months Repeated syllable strings Canonical Babbling 7 Repeated syllable strings Words 12+ months Babbling and words initially co- - Words 12+ months Babbling and words initially co exist exist

First 2 Months First 2 Months � Babies produce sounds that are by Babies produce sounds that are by- - � products of breathing, feeding, products of breathing, feeding, coughing, and general discomfort: coughing, and general discomfort: � cries, grunts, sighs, clicks, stops, and cries, grunts, sighs, clicks, stops, and � pops pops � also, some nasal sounds also, some nasal sounds �

Cooing Cooing � Non Non- -linguistic sounds; baby learns what linguistic sounds; baby learns what � her voice can do her voice can do � At first, cooing sounds are produced At first, cooing sounds are produced � briefly, and in isolation. briefly, and in isolation. � Laughter appears about 4 months Laughter appears about 4 months �

Marginal Babbling Marginal Babbling � Infants manipulate Infants manipulate pitch pitch (to produce (to produce � “squeals squeals” ” and and “ “growls growls” ”), ), loudness loudness “ (producing “ “yells yells” ”), and also manipulate ), and also manipulate (producing vocal tract shape to produce friction shape to produce friction vocal tract noises, nasal murmurs, “ “raspberries raspberries” ” and and noises, nasal murmurs, “snorts snorts” ” “ � Clicks, hums, glides, trills, hisses, and Clicks, hums, glides, trills, hisses, and � smacks start to sound like consonants and smacks start to sound like consonants and vowels vowels

Canonical Babbling Canonical Babbling Infants begin making real syllables: Infants begin making real syllables: � Includes sounds that Includes sounds that are & are not are & are not in in � the language they hear the language they hear � Starts out w/ reduplicated syllables Starts out w/ reduplicated syllables � � tends to have back consonants tends to have back consonants kikiki, kikiki, � gagaga gagaga � Gradually changes to variegated Gradually changes to variegated � syllables syllables � more front consonants come in more front consonants come in � mabagadaba mabagadaba � Intonational patterns start to sound like Intonational patterns start to sound like � sentences sentences

Baby’ ’s First Words s First Words Baby � Especially likely to be names of things Especially likely to be names of things � they can manipulate or interact with ( ball ball they can manipulate or interact with ( or doggie doggie more likely than more likely than tree tree ) ) or

Baby’ ’s First Words s First Words Baby � Around the 1 year mark, infants start to utter Around the 1 year mark, infants start to utter � recognizable words recognizable words � More words are recognized than produced More words are recognized than produced � � Content words predominate Content words predominate � � mostly nouns at first mostly nouns at first � � but some verbs, too but some verbs, too � � and a few function words ( and a few function words ( up, more up, more ) ) � � Words and babbling co Words and babbling co- -exist for a while (and exist for a while (and � may be difficult to differentiate) may be difficult to differentiate)

What is a word? What is a word?

We know lots of words We know lots of words How many words do you know? How many words do you know? � � 5- -6 year olds: 2,500 6 year olds: 2,500- -5,000 5,000 5 � � Adults (high- Adults (high -school seniors) school seniors) � � � 5000? 5000? � � 17000? 17000? � � 45000? 45000? � How many words are there? How many words are there? � � English – – Oxford English Oxford English English � � Dictionary (OED) has more than Dictionary (OED) has more than 600,000 words 600,000 words French – – less than 100,000 less than 100,000 French � � German – German – about 185,000 words about 185,000 words � � Open class words Open class words � � “content words “ content words” ” (nouns, verbs, (nouns, verbs, � � adjectives, adverbs) adjectives, adverbs) Closed class words Closed class words � � “function words function words” ” (articles, (articles, “ � � prepositions, etc.) prepositions, etc.)

“Atoms Atoms” ” of language of language “ � Listemes Listemes (entries in a (entries in a “ “mental lexicon mental lexicon” ”) ) � � Arbitrary pairings of sound and meaning Arbitrary pairings of sound and meaning � � Unpredictable forms Unpredictable forms � /k kæ æt t/ / / � Morphological objects Morphological objects � � Morphemes (roots, stems, affixes) Morphemes (roots, stems, affixes) � � Rules of morphological combination Rules of morphological combination � � Predictable (non Predictable (non- -arbitrary) sound arbitrary) sound- -meaning pairs meaning pairs �

Morphology yields words with Morphology yields words with predictable meanings predictable meanings � Inflectional morphology Inflectional morphology � � Changes words to fit specific context Changes words to fit specific context � � English (regular) past tense (stem + English (regular) past tense (stem + - -ed) ed) � � walked, walks, walking walked, walks, walking � � Derivational morphology Derivational morphology � � Forms new words Forms new words � � walker walker � � “ “one who walks one who walks” ” � � “ “thing to help you walk thing to help you walk” ” � � What do fingers What do fingers “ “fing fing” ”? ? �

Productivity Productivity � Some morphological affixes are productive Some morphological affixes are productive � � Apply to new forms entering the language Apply to new forms entering the language � � - -ed: faxed, emailed, ed: faxed, emailed, blick blick- -? ? � � - -ness: bleakness, openness, ness: bleakness, openness, wug wug- -ness ness � � Others are less productive Others are less productive � � Certain irregular past tenses Certain irregular past tenses � � sing sing � � sang; ring sang; ring � � rang; spring rang; spring � � sprang; bring sprang; bring � � brought brought � (brang brang); ); spling spling � � ? ? ( � - -ity ity: solemnity, * : solemnity, *wug wug- -ity ity �

Are morphological objects listed? Are morphological objects listed? � Are predictable forms listed? Are predictable forms listed? � � NO NO (only unpredictable words are listed) � (only unpredictable words are listed) � Bloomfield 1931 Bloomfield 1931 � � Chomsky 1965 Chomsky 1965 � � YES YES (all words in a language are listed) � (all words in a language are listed) � Bybee Bybee 1985, 2001 1985, 2001 � � Jackendoff Jackendoff 1975 1975 � � SOMETIMES SOMETIMES (predictable forms can be listed after they are � (predictable forms can be listed after they are computed) computed) � Aronoff Aronoff 1976 1976 �

Blocking Blocking � Languages avoid true synonyms Languages avoid true synonyms � � Synonymous words diverge in meaning over time Synonymous words diverge in meaning over time � � A listed form blocks creation of a new form A listed form blocks creation of a new form � with the same meaning with the same meaning � “ “went went” ” blocks blocks “ “go go- -ed ed” ” � � Irregular form blocks new, regular form Irregular form blocks new, regular form � � “ “flew flew” ” does not block does not block “ “flied flied” ” � � *The pinch hitter flew out to center field *The pinch hitter flew out to center field �