| CODE | LIN2155 | ||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | Developmental Psycholinguistics: The Acquisition of a First Language | ||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology | ||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit provides an overview of different theories of language acquisition with particular emphasis on the acquisition of a first language. (a) Students鈥� introduction to concepts in the field of first language acquisition will be informed by a consideration of the data and methods developed by psycholinguists over the past several decades, in an effort to understand how children achieve competence in their first language. The methodologies covered include the following: 1. diary studies; 2. studies based on small and large samples; 3. longitudinal studies; 4. cross-linguistic studies of language acquisition. Students will be guided to collect their own sample of data involving children acquiring their first language. (b) A number of theories of language acquistion will be dealt with, amongst which Behaviourist, Cognitive and Interactionist theories. The acknowledged stages of language acquisition will also be examined. This psycholinguistic account of language acquisition will be further complemented by a consideration of (a) the biological (that is, neural) substrates of language processing and (b) the non-linguistic factors (including sociolinguistic and interactional factors) that influence language development. With respect to crucial interactional factors, child-directed language will play a central role: participants will be motivated to consider the role of parents/guardians and significant others in shaping the process of language development in the child. This also leads to a consideration of the process of language development among children who do not grow up in "typical" social environments. (c) An in-depth study of the development of phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic aspects is carried out through the examination of cross-linguistic data from the literature. This will include examining the language learning strategies , as well as the developmental milestones, that children share, and others that may not be so widespread. Some comparisons are made with the learning of more than one language at different stages in life. Once again students will be encouraged to consider the issues discussed in the light of their own data Study-unit Aims: The study-unit aims to: - Enable students to appreciate the complexity of what children learn when they acquire their first language. They should understand the milestones in the study of language acquisition in the early years as well as similarities and differences between children learning their first language. - Inculcate an understanding of different ways of collecting child language data and learn about it through their own data collection. - Introduce students to the neural underpinnings of language learning, as well as non-linguistic factors involved in language development, the role of Child Directed Language and the complexities involved in understanding language development in children who develop in non-standard environments. - Enable students to collect their own data to illustrate an understanding of the various processes. - Explore ways of measuring development of language skills in Maltese speaking children. - Introduce students to multilingual language learning. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Outline the different stages of and milestones in language acquistion, with reference also to careful consideration of their own data sample.. - Discuss and evaluate different theories of language acquisition in terms of their descriptive and explanatory value. - Describe the various factors that contribute to language acquisition and explain their importance to the shaping of children鈥檚 general cognitive development and linguistic knowledge in the developing child. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Collect and transcribe child language data. - Conduct a preliminary analysis of this data to draw conclusions about the language acquisition process. - Conduct a detailed analysis of this data to compile a language profile, with focus on morphology and syntax. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Cattell, R. (3rd Ed) 2007. Children鈥檚 Language London: Cassell. - Clark, E.V. (3rd Ed.) 2016. First Language Acquisition Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Supplementary Readings: - Crain, S. & Lillo-Martin, D. 1999. An Introduction to Linguistic Theory and Language Acquisition Oxford: BlackwellFletcher, P. and Garman, M. (Eds.) 1986. Language Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University PressHalliday, M. A. K. 1975. Learning How to Mean. London: Edward Arnold - Harris, J. 1990. Early Language Development. London: RoutledgeGallaway, C. & Richards, B.J. (Ed.) 1994 Input and Interaction in Language Acquisition Cambridge: Cambridge University Press - Ingram, D. 1989. Early Language Development. London: Routledge. - Lanza, E. 2004 Language Mixing in Infant Bilingualism A Sociolinguistic Perspective Oxford: Oxford University PressLust, B.C. & Foley, C. 2004 First Language Acquisition The Essential Readings Oxford: Blackwell Publ.Ochs, E., and B. B. Schieffelm (Eds.) 1983. Acquiring Conversational Competence. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. - Shiplee, K.G. & McAfee, J.G. (5th Ed) 2016. Assessment in Speech Language Pathology. A Resource Manual. Cengage Learning. - Slobin, D.I. (Ed.) 1985 The Crosslinguistic Study of Language Acquisition Volumes 1 & 2 Hillsdale, New Jersey, London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. - Tomasello, M. & Bates, E. (Eds.) 2001 Language Development The Essential Readings Oxford: Blackwell Publ. - Wells, G. 1981. Learning Through Interaction. Cambridge Cambridge University Press. - Wells, G. 1985. Language Development in the Pre-school Years. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - Wells, G. 1987 The Meaning Makers London: Hodder & Stoughton. |
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| RULES/CONDITIONS | While TAKING THIS UNIT YOU ARE ADVISED TO TAKE LIN2020 In TAKING THIS UNIT YOU CANNOT TAKE LLT2191 |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Fieldwork | ||||||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Josette Portelli |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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