So, What really is

language?
What Is Language?

 In order for natural life processes to continue to grow and develop

peacefully and successfully, there must be a form of
communication that takes palace among humans. It is for this
reason that humans have adapted a system of symbols that can be
represented by spoken or written words, or hand gestures of sign
language. These symbols comprise the definition of the term
language.
 McLaughlin (1998) states “our social world immerses us in speech
and language from the moment we take our first breath” . As
pointed out by McLaughlin, humans are not born with the innate
ability to communicate, rather, language is a process of
development which begins at birth and continues infinitely”.
Origins of Language

 Empiricists: Basic laws of reinforcement and conditioning.

 Nativists: Genetically determined, innate mechanism directing
language development.
 Gene-environment interaction: Innate factors shape broad outlines
of language development.
5 subsystems of language

 In order to be a competent language speaker, all five subsystems

are required:
 Phonology
 Semantics
 Morphology
 Syntax/Grammar
 Pragmatics
1. Phonology

 Has three components:

 System of sounds used in a (spoken) language. Phonemes (e.g. bat and
pat)
 The rules for combining those sounds to make words.
 The use of stress and intonation in spoken sentences.
2. Semantics

 The meanings of words and sentences.

 Can have grammar without semantics. (e.g. “The monkey is an
elephant.”
 Learning to pair words.
3. Morphology

 Morphemes
 “Child” (1 morpheme)
 “Dogs” (2 morphemes)
 “Unspeakable” (3 morphemes)
4. Syntax

 Allows speakers to use grammar to convey the meanings they

intend.
 The girl hit the ball.
 The ball hit the girl.
 Girl, hit the ball.
5. Pragmatics

 Rules for the social use of language

 How to use language to accomplish social goals.
 How to adjust your language to fit different social situations.
 Baby Talk

Babies’ speech seems to be a fascination we all

share. The internet is overrun with videos of babies
and toddlers talking, laughing, singing, and
interacting with their parents and siblings.
Stages of Language Development

In reality, these boys are likely just mimicking

sounds and gestures as they see the adults in their
lives use to communicate with one another, but
mimicking the actions and sounds of their parents
and families are how babies begin to learn to use
language. Distinguishing between and mimicking
sounds is in fact the first stage of language
development.
Stages of Language Development

3-5 months = cooing with vowel sounds

6-11 months = babbling with consonant
sounds
12 months = single words
2-3 years = short phrases and sentences
Steven Pinker: Language

As pointed by Steven Pinker, Professor of

Harvard University, in a video for Big THINK,
language is distinctly human behavior. The
ability to form complex thoughts and ideas
is something that sets human beings apart
from every other species on the earth.
Language is distinctively human, so can
offer insights into human nature and
behavior.
Noam Chomsky: The GodFather of
Linguistics
Noam Chomsky, professor at
Massachusetts institute of Technology
has been called the “godfather of
linguistics,” and was the first to suggest
in the 1950’s that human capacity and
ability to develop language was
innate.
Language and grammar are Inate
Steven Pinker references Noam Chomsky quite a bit in his
discussion of language development and further explains
that stages of language development in his Floating
University series. He proposes that not only is language
innate, but that children are hardwired with universal
grammar. He argues that verbs are worth special attention
when studying language acquisition, calling it, ”The Mighty
Verb” in his Big Think video referenced above. He gives the
examples of the way children add “ed” to irregular verbs,
like “We holded the baby rabbits,” The alligator goed
kerplunk, or verbs such as “sticked,” “teared,” “hearded,”
and “holded” as “a way of catching children in the act of
doing something that makes language powerful, namely,
combining things by rules “
Language Development Begins at
Birth
Now, Steven Pinker’s experiment are referring to
children around 18 to 24 months of age who are
developing the ability to form short phrases and
sentences, and are just beginning to make sense of
grammatical rules of speech. But fascinating studies
are being conducted to explore what happens in
brains of infants as young as a single day to help us
better understand how language is acquired starting
from birth and just how important those early stages
of development are.
The Early Years are Critical for
language Development
Another fascinating study on infants, conducted by Patricia
Kuhi as presented in her Ted Talk, “ The Linguistic Genius of
Babies,” explore the way babies process and distinguish
sounds differently than adults, and gives evidence of just
how crucial those early years in language development are
in babies. Kuhi describes what goes on in a baby’s mind as
it is processing language and learning to language is
developed during a “critical period” for learning. Babies are
“geniuses” for language until the age of 7 and can
distinguish between different sounds of all the languages of
the world in ways that adults can’t
Interaction is Crucial to Language
Development
Kuhi also conducted research that demonstrated that the
social aspect of learning language is crucial in process of
acquisition. Children don’t learn the same way, and
possibly don’t learn language at all, by watching a TV
compared to interacting with and listening to a human
being.
This idea that interaction is essential to early language
development is reinforced by the organization Zero to
Three as presented in some of their informational videos,
such as the one below, “A Window to the World: Promoting
Early Language and Literacy Development.” As they state,
“Loving and caring relationships are central to early
language and literacy.”