regional or social varieties of language

-develop when people are separated by

geographical or social barriers

-sometimes one particular dialect becomes the "standard" (SAE)

languages that are created by peoples who share no common language

-they invent a language that uses the lexical items from one or more of the contact languages but has very primitive grammar

Whorfian Hypothesis

(definition)

Whorfian Hypothesis

(2 types and explanations)

(Strong) Linguistic Determinism- language determines thought

(Weak) Linguistic Relativity- language influences thought

Whorfian Hypothesis

(Evidence for and against)

For- Eskimos have many names for snow

Against- The cross-cultural color spectrum experiment. Regardless of their language, everyone picked the bluest blue, redest red, etc.

an increase in the number of contingent responses and contingent queries

-a decrease in the amount of noncontingent responses

-setting: introduce the characters

-initiation: introduce the problem or goal

-elaboration: protagonists actions to solve the problem

-consequences: affects of actions

-resolution: outcome

Protonarratives (Age 3-5)

centering- (heaps) often lacks beginning,

middle, and end

-i.d. of setting may be nonexistent

chaining- (organizing "and then..") temporal organization, but vague sense of time

-recounts: past experience (audience usually

shares the experience)

-eventcasts: explaining a current or anticipated event

-accounts: spontaneous sharing of experience

(usually not shared by the audience)

-stories: fictionalized accounts (usually has a theme with a main character overcoming a problem or challenge)

-evaluations: of character's internal states

-orientations: greater detail of setting (Appendages- orientation cues)

-causlity: can move forward and backward in time

Reprimands, commands, and insults

-tattling

-rejections

-criticisms

-taunts, teases, ritualized forms

genderlects

(boys v. girls)

girls: collaborative, supported, more

mitigated speech and negotiation

boys: more assertive and controlling

kids treat language the same as any other object, something to play around with

(Have an appreciation for riddles, rhyme, etc.)

word games that depend on phonological, morphological, lexical or syntactic ambiguity

-polysemus: more than one meaning

-solving a riddle requires insight into the ways that words can be ambiguous

figurative language

(definition)

figurative language

(examples)

-metaphors

-idioms (throw a party)

-opaque idioms: little relationship

-literal and figurative meaning

-simile

-hyperbole (sarcasm, emphasis)

-irony

-proverbs

knowledge about the way the world works

(contributes to understanding figurative language)

-richer word representations provide more possible interpretations

how clear is the literal-figurative relationships

frozen metaphor- kick the bucket

transparent- hold your tongue

impaired comprehension or use of a spoken, written, or signed symbol system

(may involve form, content, or use or some combination)

SLI

(Characteristics)

Specific Language Impairment- largest

class of impairment

have atypical hearing, normal range intelligence, no other obvious neurological impairments

SLI

(profiles)

1. tend to have differential difficulties with language

2. delayed vocab. development

3. difficulty with grammar

4. associated with general academic difficulty

5. tend to have long-term language problems

6. Anomia: problems in retrieving words for concepts they appear to understand

7. problems in pragmatics (less appropriate requests, tend to interpret literally)

SLI

(Causes)

may reflect underlying brain dysfunction

-auditory processing: phonemic processing

-symbolic processing: representations in your head

-general cognitive deficits

SLI

(Treatment)

kids respond to treatment in a number of cases

-SLI kids may learn language differently- appear to be poor incidental learners

-forms

-childhood disintegrative disorder

-asperger's syndrome

-pervasive developmental disorder

Asperger's Syndrome

"high functioning autism" 

show some signs, particularly social and communication

-don't otherwise meet criteria

Autism

(criteria for diagnosis)

severe problem establishing and maintaining social relationships

3 areas of evaluation:

1. social interactions- lack of desire for social contact, awkward facial expressions, etc.

2. communication: extremely slow development

3. Behavior (abnormal focus, must have routines)

Autism

(Impact on Language Development)

-about half of the autistic comminity never develops expressive vocab.

-Good: phonological, lexical, syntactic development

-Poor: pragmatic, social domains

-trouble engaging prelinguistic communication

-trouble developing joint social interactions

-may demonstrate hyperlexia

-echolalia

-delayed echolalia: repeating utterances days, even weeks after it was first heard