Moving beyond the lexicon Moving beyond the lexicon An isolated - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Moving beyond the lexicon Moving beyond the lexicon

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

An isolated lexicon? An isolated lexicon?

Chapter 9: LDER Chapter 9: LDER

Main Point Main Point

• Does word learning depend on:

Does word learning depend on:

• A dedicated system

A dedicated system

• that is different than any systems for other types of

that is different than any systems for other types of learning learning

• General learning mechanisms

General learning mechanisms

• that can learn more than just words

that can learn more than just words

• If the latter, what type of general mechanism?

If the latter, what type of general mechanism?

Markson Markson and Bloom and Bloom

• Is word learning similar to fact learning?

Is word learning similar to fact learning?

• Fast mapping:

Fast mapping: Novel words map onto objects Novel words map onto objects which do not already have a name which do not already have a name

• Is

Is “ “fast mapping fast mapping” ” special to words? special to words?

• Tested 3 year olds, 4 year olds, undergraduates

Tested 3 year olds, 4 year olds, undergraduates

Words Words

• 20 minute training phase

20 minute training phase

• Play a game with 10 different kinds of objects

Play a game with 10 different kinds of objects

• Familiar objects

Familiar objects

• Pennies, a pencil, a ruler, string

Pennies, a pencil, a ruler, string

• Novel objects

Novel objects

• Things that subjects are unable to name (6 different things)

Things that subjects are unable to name (6 different things)

• Subjects were exposed to a new word

Subjects were exposed to a new word “ “koba koba” ” for an for an unfamiliar object unfamiliar object

• “

“Let Let’ ’s measure the s measure the koba

• koba. We can count these to see how

. We can count these to see how long the long the koba koba is. We can put the

• is. We can put the koba

koba away now. away now.” ”

• “

“Let Let’ ’s use the s use the kobas kobas to measure which is longer. Line up the to measure which is longer. Line up the kobas kobas so we can count them. We can put the so we can count them. We can put the kobas kobas away away now. now.” ”

and Facts and Facts

• Subjects were presented with a novel fact:

Subjects were presented with a novel fact:

• “

“We can use the things my uncle gave to me We can use the things my uncle gave to me to measure which is longer. My uncle gave to measure which is longer. My uncle gave these to me. We can put the these to me. We can put the thing(s thing(s) my uncle ) my uncle gave to me away now. gave to me away now.

• OR

OR

• “

“Watch where this goes. This goes here Watch where this goes. This goes here [subjects watch as sticker is put on unfamiliar [subjects watch as sticker is put on unfamiliar

• bject]. That
• bject]. That’

’s where this goes. s where this goes.” ”

Learned words and facts? Learned words and facts?

• Presented with array of 10 items

Presented with array of 10 items

• Which one is the

Which one is the koba koba? ?

• Which one was given to me by my uncle? OR

Which one was given to me by my uncle? OR

• Put the sticker where it should go.

Put the sticker where it should go.

• Tested for learning at three intervals:

Tested for learning at three intervals:

• Immediately

Immediately

• After a 1

After a 1-

• week delay

week delay

• After a 1

After a 1-

• month delay

month delay

• Why?

Why?

Multiple Memory Systems Multiple Memory Systems

• Sensory memory

Sensory memory

• Different systems for different senses

Different systems for different senses

• Short term

Short term “ “working working” ” memory memory

• Necessary for processing/manipulating information

Necessary for processing/manipulating information

• Limited capacity

Limited capacity

• Limited duration

Limited duration

• Long term memory

Long term memory

• “

“knowledge knowledge” ”

Results Results

• Word learning

Word learning

• Children and adults remembered which object was the

Children and adults remembered which object was the koba koba at all three testing delays at all three testing delays

• Adults were better than children immediately, but not after 1

Adults were better than children immediately, but not after 1 week or 1 month week or 1 month

• No decline in performance over time by any group

No decline in performance over time by any group

• Fact learning

Fact learning

• All subjects equally good at remembering which object

All subjects equally good at remembering which object “ “was given to me by my uncle was given to me by my uncle” ”

• Children were better at fact learning than word learning when

Children were better at fact learning than word learning when tested immediately tested immediately

• For sticker location

For sticker location

• All subjects better immediately than after a delay

All subjects better immediately than after a delay

• Children worse at this than at words or uncle

Children worse at this than at words or uncle-

• facts

facts

• After one month, children are guessing (adults did slightly

After one month, children are guessing (adults did slightly better) better)

Is fast Is fast-

• mapping special to words?

mapping special to words?

• Doesn

Doesn’ ’t seem to be t seem to be – – both words and facts can both words and facts can be fast be fast-

• mapped under similar conditions

mapped under similar conditions

• BUT

BUT – – maybe familiarity of maybe familiarity of ‘ ‘uncle uncle’ ’ as a word as a word made fact learning easier than it should have made fact learning easier than it should have been been

• Retested with word

Retested with word ‘ ‘koba koba’ ’ and fact and fact ‘ ‘object came from

• bject came from

a place called a place called ‘ ‘Koba Koba’ ’

• Equally good learning in both conditions

Equally good learning in both conditions

• Learning that an object came from a

Learning that an object came from a ‘ ‘place called place called Koba Koba’ ’ or was

• r was ‘

‘given by my uncle given by my uncle’ ’ equally good equally good

Conclusions Conclusions

• Fast mapping applies to

Fast mapping applies to

• Learning novel words

Learning novel words

• Learning arbitrary facts about an object

Learning arbitrary facts about an object

• Even when the fact contains a novel word

Even when the fact contains a novel word

• Maybe not to any memorization task

Maybe not to any memorization task

• Poor performance at location of sticker after one month

Poor performance at location of sticker after one month

• Fast mapping limited to

Fast mapping limited to – –

• Information conveyed through language?

Information conveyed through language?

• Salient/interesting information?

Salient/interesting information?

• Circumstances where object identity or category is more

Circumstances where object identity or category is more important than a property like location important than a property like location

Conclusions Conclusions

• No critical period for fast mapping

No critical period for fast mapping

• No advantage for children compared to adults

No advantage for children compared to adults

• Children do seem better than adults at

Children do seem better than adults at learning phonology, morphology, syntax learning phonology, morphology, syntax

• Word learning may be different than

Word learning may be different than learning other aspects of language learning other aspects of language

Declarative Memory Declarative Memory

• Episodic memory (

Episodic memory (“ “remembering remembering” ”) )

• Personally experienced

Personally experienced ‘ ‘events events’ ’

• Contextually encoded to specify place, time

Contextually encoded to specify place, time

• Semantic memory (

Semantic memory (“ “knowing knowing” ”) )

• Memory for

Memory for ‘ ‘facts facts’ ’

• Not bound to particular place, time

Not bound to particular place, time

• Memory for words (mental lexicon)

Memory for words (mental lexicon)

Animals can do it too Animals can do it too

• Border Collie

Border Collie “ “Rico Rico” ”

• 9 years old

9 years old

• 200 word lexicon

200 word lexicon

• Vocabulary size

Vocabulary size comparable to that of comparable to that of trained apes, dolphins, sea trained apes, dolphins, sea lions, parrots lions, parrots

• Can

Can “ “fast fast-

• map

map” ” – – infer infer meaning of new word meaning of new word based on presence of based on presence of novel item novel item

What does Rico know? What does Rico know?

• Performance involves

Performance involves

• Knowing objects have labels

Knowing objects have labels

• Learning mechanism

Learning mechanism

• Stored knowledge (memory)

Stored knowledge (memory)

• What does

What does “ “sock sock” ” mean? mean?

• Abstract concept

Abstract concept “ “sock sock” ”

• temporal lobe in people

temporal lobe in people

• Sock

Sock-

• fetching

fetching

• Motor concepts in people

Motor concepts in people

• Performance far worse than

Performance far worse than that of 9 that of 9-

• year old child

year old child

Words and Grammar Words and Grammar

Chapter 10: LDER Chapter 10: LDER

What is the relationship between What is the relationship between lexicon and grammar? lexicon and grammar?

• Classic

Classic “ “modular modular” ” view view

• Lexicon and grammar are fully distinct

Lexicon and grammar are fully distinct

• Some words may do

Some words may do “ “grammatical work grammatical work” ”

• Closed class words

Closed class words

• Words are combined into structures created by the

Words are combined into structures created by the grammar (larger role for grammar) grammar (larger role for grammar)

• Lexicalist

Lexicalist view view

• Anything and everything can be in the lexicon

Anything and everything can be in the lexicon

• Words; structures (with no words attached)

Words; structures (with no words attached)

• Grammar ensures that words and structures are

Grammar ensures that words and structures are combined appropriately (smaller role for grammar) combined appropriately (smaller role for grammar)

• Babble

Babble

• Meaningful speech

Meaningful speech

• Single words (from

Single words (from 10 10-

• 12 months)

12 months)

• Vocabulary burst

Vocabulary burst (from 16 (from 16-

• 20

20 months) months)

• Word combinations

Word combinations from about 18 from about 18-

• 20

20 months months

• 24

24-

• 30 months:

30 months: “ “flowering of flowering of morphosyntax morphosyntax” ”

comprehension comprehension production production grammar grammar

From single words to grammar From single words to grammar

• Grammar cannot begin in the absence of

Grammar cannot begin in the absence of words words

• The grammar needs at least some words to

The grammar needs at least some words to manipulate manipulate

• How many?

How many?

• Once some minimum number is reached, does

Once some minimum number is reached, does grammatical development proceed independently? grammatical development proceed independently? (modular view) (modular view)

• Or do they remain tightly correlated? (

Or do they remain tightly correlated? (lexicalist lexicalist view) view)

• Measuring

Measuring grammatical grammatical complexity complexity

• MLU

MLU

• Mean length of

Mean length of utterance utterance

• Measured in

Measured in morphemes morphemes

• Longer = more complex

Longer = more complex

• Part II of CDI

Part II of CDI

• Parental judgments

Parental judgments

• Highly correlated with

Highly correlated with MLU MLU

• Looks like a very tight link

Looks like a very tight link

• Relationship between

Relationship between grammar and grammar and vocabulary size vocabulary size – –

• Lines indicate 90

Lines indicate 90th

th,

, 75 75th

th, 50

, 50th

th, 25

, 25th

th, 10

, 10th

th

percentile for grammar percentile for grammar in each vocabulary in each vocabulary group group

• Variability is relatively

Variability is relatively small, and is small, and is consistent beyond consistent beyond about 100 words about 100 words

Maybe it Maybe it’ ’s just development of s just development of closed class words? closed class words?

• Remove all closed

Remove all closed class words class words

• Look at open

Look at open-

• class

class vocabulary only vocabulary only

• Still looks like a very

Still looks like a very tight relationship! tight relationship!

• verbs

verbs… …. .

Averaging artifact? Averaging artifact?

• Cross sectional

Cross sectional vs vs longitudinal samples longitudinal samples

• Cross sectional

Cross sectional

• Different children

Different children

• Longitudinal

Longitudinal

• Same children

Same children

Different Languages? Different Languages?

• Despite different

Despite different grammars grammars

• English and Italian

English and Italian show virtually show virtually identical relationship identical relationship

Why? Why?

• There appears to be a very strong relationship

There appears to be a very strong relationship between lexicon and grammar in development between lexicon and grammar in development (from 16 (from 16-

• 30 months particularly)

30 months particularly)

1. 1.

Perceptual bootstrapping Perceptual bootstrapping

2. 2.

Logical bootstrapping Logical bootstrapping

3. 3.

Syntactic bootstrapping Syntactic bootstrapping

4. 4.

Non Non-

• linear dynamics of learning

linear dynamics of learning

5. 5.

Lexically based grammar Lexically based grammar

Perceptual Bootstrapping Perceptual Bootstrapping

• Grammatical functions words and

Grammatical functions words and inflections are difficult to perceive inflections are difficult to perceive

• “

“the car the car” ” “ “walked walked” ”

• Once you have a critical mass of content

Once you have a critical mass of content words, function words can be perceptually words, function words can be perceptually separated and learned more easily separated and learned more easily

Logical Bootstrapping Logical Bootstrapping

• Predicates (verbs, adjectives) acquired

Predicates (verbs, adjectives) acquired later than nouns later than nouns

• Function words acquired even later

Function words acquired even later

• Progression from names to predication to

Progression from names to predication to grammar is logically necessary: grammar is logically necessary:

• Children can

Children can’ ’t understand relational terms t understand relational terms until the understand the things being related until the understand the things being related

Syntactic Bootstrapping Syntactic Bootstrapping

• Children exploit sentential information to learn about

Children exploit sentential information to learn about meaning of a novel word meaning of a novel word

• Many different aspects of a sentence can be used

Many different aspects of a sentence can be used – – sentence sentence-

• level semantics; morphological cues; word

level semantics; morphological cues; word

• rder; prosody
• rder; prosody
• e.g.,

e.g., “ “that that’ ’s s Zav Zav” ” vs vs “ “that that’ ’s a s a Zav Zav” ”

• Link between grammatical and lexical development is a

Link between grammatical and lexical development is a two two-

• way street:

way street:

• Lexical growth feeds grammatical development

Lexical growth feeds grammatical development

• Perceptual and logical bootstrapping

Perceptual and logical bootstrapping

• Grammatical growth feeds lexical development

Grammatical growth feeds lexical development

• Syntactic bootstrapping

Syntactic bootstrapping

Non Non-

• linear dynamics in learning

linear dynamics in learning

• Lexical and

Lexical and grammatical grammatical development displays development displays non non-

• linear curve

linear curve

• Any account of

Any account of language learning language learning needs to be able to needs to be able to account for non account for non-

• linear

linear growth growth

Lexically based grammar Lexically based grammar

• Tight link between lexical and grammatical

Tight link between lexical and grammatical development not expected if lexicon and development not expected if lexicon and grammar are really distinct systems grammar are really distinct systems

• It does not appear to be the case that your ability to

It does not appear to be the case that your ability to combine words becomes independent of how many combine words becomes independent of how many words you know words you know

• Rather, tight link in

Rather, tight link in development development suggests tight suggests tight link in link in representations representations of lexical and grammatical

• f lexical and grammatical

knowledge knowledge

• Just in an early age range?

Just in an early age range?

• Recall that by 30 months, children have mastered

Recall that by 30 months, children have mastered most grammatical structures in their native language most grammatical structures in their native language

Midterm Review Midterm Review

• Main Ideas

Main Ideas

• Acquisition

Acquisition vs vs development development

• Can language be learned by imitation?

Can language be learned by imitation?

• Can language be learned by analogy?

Can language be learned by analogy?

• Speech Perception

Speech Perception

• Development of the auditory system

Development of the auditory system

• What does a fetus hear in the womb?

What does a fetus hear in the womb?

• How do you measure what a fetus/newborn knows?

How do you measure what a fetus/newborn knows?

• Measure heart rate/movement of fetus with habituation

Measure heart rate/movement of fetus with habituation technique technique

• High amplitude sucking for newborn

High amplitude sucking for newborn

• What does a fetus know?

What does a fetus know?

• Rhythmic Class Hypothesis

Rhythmic Class Hypothesis

• Stress

Stress vs vs syllable syllable vs vs mora mora timed languages timed languages

• More on speech perception

More on speech perception

• Acquisition of native phonemes

Acquisition of native phonemes

• Loss or gain of an ability to discriminate minimally different s

Loss or gain of an ability to discriminate minimally different sounds?

• unds?
• Conditioned head turning technique

Conditioned head turning technique

• Categorical perception

Categorical perception

• Perceptual assimilation model

Perceptual assimilation model

• Human babies

Human babies vs vs monkeys in language discrimination task monkeys in language discrimination task

• Word Segmentation

Word Segmentation

• Detecting word boundaries

Detecting word boundaries

• Finding frequent sounds

Finding frequent sounds

• Frequently co

Frequently co-

• occurring sounds
• ccurring sounds
• Phonotactics

Phonotactics

• Prosodic patterns

Prosodic patterns

• Precedence

Precedence vs vs dominance in grammar dominance in grammar

• Infants get better/faster at identifying/recognizing words

Infants get better/faster at identifying/recognizing words they know they know

• Stages of infant speech production

Stages of infant speech production

• Cooing

Cooing

• Marginal babbling

Marginal babbling

• Canonical babbling

Canonical babbling

• Words

Words – – what is a word? what is a word?

• What

What’ ’s in the lexicon? s in the lexicon?

• Meta

Meta-

• linguistic awareness of words

linguistic awareness of words

• What do words mean

What do words mean – – intent intent

• Proto

Proto-

• imperative

imperative vs vs proto proto-

• declarative

declarative

• What do words mean

What do words mean – – reference reference

• Gavagai

Gavagai problem problem

• Under

Under vs vs over

• ver-
• extensions

extensions

• Constraints on word learning

Constraints on word learning

• Lexical constraints hypothesis

Lexical constraints hypothesis

• Mutual exclusivity; fast mapping; whole objects; taxonomic

Mutual exclusivity; fast mapping; whole objects; taxonomic

• Social constraints

Social constraints

• Linguistic constraints

Linguistic constraints

• Principle of contrast

Principle of contrast

• Biological

Biological vs vs environmental influences on environmental influences on vocabulary development vocabulary development

• Universal stages of growth

Universal stages of growth

• MacArthur Communicative Development

MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory Inventory

• English

English vs vs Italian lexical development Italian lexical development

• Today

Today’ ’s stuff s stuff… …