Title: Language Acquisition
1Language Acquisition Julien Musolino, Rutgers
University
2General goal
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- Give you a sense of the importance of the study
of language acquisition and its place within
cognitive science
- Step 1 Why language acquisition is interesting
at all
- Step 2 Why language acquisition is central to
cognitive science
3General outline
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- Part 1 Why LA is interesting
- Focus on the sociological problem faced by
those who study language acquisition
- Emphasis here will be on simple but powerful
analogies to highlight the core issues
- Make sure that everybody is on the same page
- This part will be less interactive, but more
entertaining!
4General outline
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- Part 2 why LA is central to cognitive science
- Focus on the scientific problem posed by the
study of language acquisition
- Emphasis here will be on a particular phenomenon
and its implications for some of the disciplines
that make up cognitive science (i.e., theoretical
linguistics, developmental psychology, and
speech-language pathology)
- This part will be less entertaining, but more
interactive!
5The sociological problem
6Why study language acquisition?
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- Its a complete waste of time because the issues
are trivial
- So there is really nothing to explain
- Language is simple, in fact so simple that it
can be taught to an ape
- Therefore it can easily be taught to children
7The sociological problem
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- Most people vastly underestimate the complexity
of language
- Most people do not realize that children arent
taught language
8- Everybody has language (in some form)
- Language comes to us naturally and seemingly
effortlessly
- You dont even have to be particularly
intelligent or motivated
9- Not everybody can play chess
- Chess doesnt come to us naturally and
effortlessly
- Youd better be intelligent and motivated
10Computers beat minds at chess
Kasparov vs. Deep Blue
11Computers are pathetic at language
Child vs. Computer
12A conversation with Eliza
Eliza Hello, I am Eliza. How can I help you?
J Could you tell me what a dog is?
Eliza Oh, I tell you what a dog is.
13A conversation with Eliza
J Yes, please.
Eliza You are sure?
J Yes, Im pretty sure.
Eliza You are sure?
J I said Yes!!!
14A conversation with Eliza
Eliza Could you elaborate on that?
J I just want you to tell me what a dog is.
Eliza Do you wish to just want me?
J Are you going to tell me or not?
15A conversation with Eliza
Eliza Would you prefer if I were not going to
tell you or not?
J You just dont understand a damn thing I say,
do you?
Eliza Oh, I
16Computers and language
_____________________________
- Computers are terrible at language!
- And its not for lack of trying
- Loebner Prize
17Ulysses, 46 years old
_____________________________
Julien This Troll has magic powers. Do you know
anybody else who has magic powers?
Ulysses The only two people I know who have
magic powers are God up there and the Power
Rangers on the cartoon channel
18Ulysses, 46 years old
_____________________________
Julien Does your nose grow when you tell lies?
Ulysses I never tell lies!
Julien Well, thats great Ulysses!!!
Ulysses See, I just told you a lie and my nose
didnt grow!
19Sarah, 52
_____________________________
Dr. M I am a Prince. If you marry me, youll
become a Princess
Sarah I dont want to get married!
Dr. M You dont want to get married ever??!!
Sarah Ill get married so that I can have kids.
Then Ill get divorced!
20Why study language acquisition?
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- Language is an extraordinarily complex system
and children are so good at it.
21Why study language acquisition?
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- Language is universal across the species
- Language is a species-specific trait
22A species-specific trait
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99 of our genes in common
23They certainly look like us
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But they dont have language
24Why study language acquisition?
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It is a very remarkable fact that there are none
without even excepting idiots, that cannot
arrange different words together, forming of them
a statement by which they make known their
thoughts while on the other hand, there is no
other animal, however perfect and fortunately
circumstanced it may be, which can do the same.
René Descartes, Discours de la Méthode
25Why study language acquisition?
_____________________________
It is a very remarkable fact that there are none
without even excepting idiots, that cannot
arrange different words together, forming of them
a statement by which they make known their
thoughts while on the other hand, there is no
other animal, however perfect and fortunately
circumstanced it may be, which can do the same.
René Descartes, Discours de la Méthode
26Why study language acquisition?
_____________________________
When we study human language, we are approaching
what some might call the human essence, the
distinctive qualities of mind that are, so far as
we know, unique to man. Noam Chomsky, Language
and Mind
27What makes language such a unique and complex
system?
Its the closest thing that we have to telepathy!
28(No Transcript)
29The power of language
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- Talk about things that happened 2000 years ago,
that are happening now, or things that will
happen in 20 years
- Talk about characters who only exist in our
collective imagination
- Give you specific instructions on how to cook an
elaborate meal
30Language allows us to convey a potentially
infinite number of thoughts
31Infinity
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Guinness book of Records longest English
sentence, 1,300 from William Faulkner novel
They both bore it as though in deliberate
flagellant exaltation
32Infinity
_____________________________
They both bore it as though in deliberate
flagellant exaltation
Faulkner wrote, They both bore it as though in
deliberate flagellant exaltation
33Infinity
_____________________________
Faulkner wrote, They both bore it as though in
deliberate flagellant exaltation
Musolino wrote that Faulkner wrote, They both
bore it as though in deliberate flagellant
exaltation
34Infinity
_____________________________
Musolino wrote that Faulkner wrote, They both
bore it as though in deliberate flagellant
exaltation
Who cares that Musolino wrote that Faulkner
wrote, They both bore it as though in deliberate
flagellant exaltation
35Consequences of infinity
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You cant possibly have memorized all the
sentences of your language
36Consequences of infinity
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- 1030 sentences under 20 words
If you memorized 100 of these per minute
It would take you a billion trillion years to
memorize just 1 of this set
37However, you can
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- Understand sentences youve never heard before
- Produce sentences youve never uttered before
38Conclusion
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Then, there must be in your head a finite code or
set of rules that enables you to produce and
understand an infinite number of sentences.
39Analogy
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40Back to language
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- The set of mental rules (i.e. the code) that
enables us to produce and understand an infinite
number of sentences is what linguists call a
GRAMMAR.
- What linguists do is try to find out what the
rules of grammar are.
41Distinction
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- Prescriptive rules of grammar
- Descriptive rules of grammar
42Prescriptive rules of grammar
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- Dont use aint
- Dont use double negatives
- Never end a sentence with a preposition
- Dont split infinitives
43Prescriptive Rules
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An arbitrary set of conventions dictating how
people should talk
44Descriptive Rules
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The rules that enable us to speak and understand
in the first place!
45Descriptive rules of grammar
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(1) John ate a sandwich
(2) John ate
(something)
(3) John grows tomatoes
(4) John grows
46These missionaries are _______ to eat.
(1) eager
(2) ready
(3) easy
47Descriptive rules of grammar
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The interpretation of pronouns
Pronouns he, she, her, him etc.
48Bill thinks that he is intelligent
49Rules
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Bill thinks that he is intelligent
- Pronouns seem to be able to freely refer to
someone mentioned in the sentence or somebody
else
50Homer
Bill
Bill promised Homer to pay him
51Homer
Bill
Bill persuaded Homer to pay him
52Analogy the rules of chess
53Analogy the rules of chess
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- You cant wear a hat while playing
- You cant chew gum while playing
- You have to wear a tag with your name on it
54Analogy the rules of chess
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- If you want to castle you
55Implicit (tacit) knowledge
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Why cant him refer to Homer in Bill persuaded
Homer to pay him?
56Why study language acquisition?
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Language acquisition is one of the most
important topics in cognitive science. Every
theory of cognition has tried to explain it It
is not hard to see why. Possessing a language is
the quintessentially human trait all normal
humans speak, no non-human animal does Every
time we speak, we are revealing something about
the nature of language, so the facts of language
structure are easy to come by facts that hint
at a system of extraordinary complexity.
Nonetheless, learning a first language is
something every normal child does successfully,
in a matter of a few years and without the need
for formal lessons
Steven Pinker