Blackwell Handbook of Language Development (Blackwell Handbooks of Developmental Psychology)

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 5
Part 0......Page 7
Contributors......Page 10
Preface......Page 13
1 On the Development of the Field of Language Development......Page 15
The legacy of theories of syntactic formalism......Page 17
What constrains the acquisition of language?......Page 21
The active, social child......Page 22
Do we still need domain-specifi c constraints?......Page 24
Tasks for Future Research......Page 26
References......Page 28
Part I. Basic Foundations and Theoretical Approaches to Language Development......Page 31
Introduction......Page 33
2 The Neurodevelopmental Bases of Language......Page 35
Neurobiology of the Adult System......Page 36
Principles of neuroscience......Page 37
Neuroanatomical and neurophysiological evidence......Page 38
Brain indices of language processing in adults......Page 41
General Principles of Developmental Neuroscience......Page 46
What is the developmental basis of adult language organization in the brain?......Page 48
Which processes contributing to language are limited by sensitive/critical periods?......Page 50
What are the causes of developmental language disorders and delays?......Page 53
Conclusion......Page 54
References......Page 55
Input constraints......Page 60
Constraints on hypothesis formation: Universal Grammar......Page 61
Language Development: Continuity versus Maturation......Page 62
Example 1: Subjectless sentences......Page 63
Example 2: Structural conditions on pronoun interpretation......Page 64
Example 3: Movement......Page 65
A Problem for Continuity: Root Infinitives......Page 69
The sentence processor......Page 71
Processing and learnability......Page 73
Root infinitives revisited......Page 74
Movement in passive sentences......Page 75
Can computational limitations replace maturation?......Page 76
Summary and Conclusion......Page 77
References......Page 78
4 Domain-General Learning Capacities......Page 82
Historical Issues: Chomsky versus Skinner......Page 83
Speech Perception......Page 84
Speech Categories......Page 86
Word Segmentation......Page 87
Words and Meaning......Page 88
Syntax......Page 90
Challenges for Domain-General Accounts......Page 91
Conclusions......Page 93
References......Page 94
Starting Distinctions......Page 101
Discovering Word Meanings......Page 102
Social input regarding word meaning......Page 103
Meaning-relevant social responsiveness......Page 104
Discovering what people mean when they use words......Page 106
Nativist accounts background social input to linguistic structure......Page 109
Initial socio-pragmatic alternatives emphasize social support for language acquisition......Page 110
Contemporary socio-pragmatic accounts: Emphasizing children’s social understanding......Page 111
Empirical evidence for social capacities in syntax......Page 112
Wrapping Up: Social Factors Influence Language Learning at Many Levels of Analysis......Page 114
References......Page 115
Theories of the role of input......Page 121
Descriptions of the input......Page 124
Input and sequence of acquisition......Page 128
Input and speed of acquisition......Page 130
Influences other than input......Page 132
References......Page 134
7 The Emergence of Language: A Dynamical Systems Account......Page 142
Cognitivism: The Mind-as-Computer Metaphor......Page 143
Dynamic Systems Theory......Page 145
Catastrophe models......Page 147
Connectionist models......Page 148
Synergetics......Page 149
An epigenetic landscape: From babbling to first words......Page 151
Dyadic interactions and coupled dynamic complex systems......Page 154
Mental Representations: Dynamic Field Theory and Connectionism......Page 155
References......Page 156
Part II. Language Development in Infancy......Page 163
Introduction......Page 165
Speech Perception Development......Page 167
Effects of age and language input......Page 168
Variables influencing speech intake in infancy......Page 171
Biological influences on early speech production......Page 174
Experiential influences on speech production......Page 176
Speech Perception and Speech Production Development: Challenges for the Future......Page 180
Notes......Page 181
References......Page 182
9 Acquiring Linguistic Structure......Page 187
Sensitivity to phonetic features......Page 189
Sensitivity to segment sequences......Page 191
Sensitivity to properties affecting stress assignment......Page 192
Summary of sensitivity to phonological form......Page 193
Sensitivity to the order of word-like units......Page 194
Sensitivity to syntactic categories......Page 197
Summary of infants’ sensitivity to syntactic form......Page 198
What Early Sensitivity to Linguistic Form Tells Us about Language Development......Page 199
References......Page 201
A Brief Historical Review......Page 205
Types of Words in Infants’ Lexicon......Page 206
Object representations......Page 208
Object categories......Page 209
Linking words to objects......Page 210
Nature of Early Lexical Categories......Page 211
Cognitive Processes in Verb Learning......Page 212
Infants’ representations of verbs......Page 213
Infants’ understanding of motion events......Page 214
Infants’ understanding of the intentional nature of actions......Page 215
Learning Spatial Words......Page 216
Conclusions......Page 217
Note......Page 218
References......Page 219
A History of Syntactic Bootstrapping......Page 226
Syntactic bootstrapping is a procedure for constraining or focusing the meanings of words......Page 227
Syntactic bootstrapping is based on correspondences between syntax and semantics......Page 228
Syntactic bootstrapping operates in concert with the visual–spatial world, lexical constraints, and/or pragmatic information......Page 230
Preschoolers: Syntactic Bootstrappers Par Excellence......Page 231
Developmental issues......Page 233
Cross-linguistic issues......Page 235
The role of syntax in real-world word learning......Page 240
Conclusions......Page 241
References......Page 242
Part III. Language Development in Early Childhood......Page 247
Introduction......Page 249
12 Phonological Development......Page 252
Prelinguistic development......Page 253
From babble to words......Page 254
Phonological development beyond the first-word stage......Page 255
Lexical selection in early words......Page 256
Lexical–phonological patterns beyond the early-word period......Page 257
Developing a theory......Page 258
Structuralist theories......Page 259
Rule- and constraint-based theories......Page 260
Child-centered theories......Page 263
Biological theories......Page 265
Usage-based phonology......Page 266
Conclusion......Page 267
References......Page 268
13 Mechanisms of Word Learning......Page 271
Word learning is fast......Page 272
Word learning is inductive......Page 273
Input......Page 274
Syntax......Page 275
Lexical constraints......Page 276
Attention and learning mechanisms......Page 277
Conceptual biases......Page 278
Pragmatics......Page 279
How specific is word learning?......Page 280
What does the child bring to word learning?......Page 281
Emergentist model......Page 283
Concluding Remarks......Page 284
References......Page 286
14 The Abstract Nature of Syntactic Representations: Consequences for a Theory of Learning......Page 291
Syntactic Representations are Hierarchical......Page 295
Children’s knowledge of hierarchical structure......Page 297
Syntactic Relations are Defined over Hierarchical Representations......Page 298
Children’s knowledge of c-command......Page 301
Links between Cross-Linguistic Variability and Syntactic Acquisition......Page 308
Consequences for Learning......Page 311
References......Page 314
15 Conversational Understanding in Young Children......Page 318
Finding Appropriate Questions and Contexts to Determine Children’s Conceptual Competence: Research on Knowledge of the Appearance–Reality Distinction......Page 321
Conversational Understanding and Conceptual Competence: The Case of Cosmology......Page 323
Scalar Implicatures and the Development of Conversational Understanding......Page 325
Attention to Context in Research on Children’s Sentence Processing......Page 327
Characterizing Children’s Conceptual Knowledge and Conversational Competence......Page 330
Conclusion......Page 332
References......Page 333
16 Bilingual First Language Acquisition......Page 338
The Development of Two Languages Simultaneously......Page 339
Morphosyntax......Page 340
Lexicon......Page 341
Phonology......Page 342
Child Bilingual Code-Mixing......Page 344
Grammatical properties......Page 345
Functional properties......Page 346
Communicative Competence......Page 347
Conclusions......Page 349
References......Page 351
Part IV. Language Development after Early Childhood......Page 357
Introduction......Page 359
17 Developing Linguistic Knowledge and Language Use Across Adolescence......Page 361
Vocabulary development......Page 362
Syntactic development......Page 365
Linking Language Knowledge and Use......Page 368
Developing linguistic literacy......Page 370
Developing discourse abilities......Page 371
Concluding Remarks......Page 373
Notes......Page 374
References......Page 375
Importance of research on literacy in bilingual children......Page 382
Goal of the chapter......Page 383
Factors related to reading success......Page 384
Language interactions in bilingualism......Page 385
On interdependence and literacy development in bilingual children......Page 386
Profile effects in bilingualism and interdependence......Page 387
On the domain specificity of transfer between languages......Page 388
Possible bases of the profile effects......Page 390
Transfer of reading skills across languages with alphabetical writing systems......Page 392
The Balance of Evidence on Advantages of Bilingualism......Page 394
References......Page 395
19 Second Language Acquisition in Childhood......Page 401
Phonological Acquisition in the Second Language......Page 402
Lexical Acquisition in the Second Language......Page 403
Morphosyntactic Acquisition in the Second Language......Page 405
Child Second Language Learners Compared with Monolingual Age Peers......Page 407
Sources of Individual Differences in Child Second Language Acquisition......Page 408
Aptitude......Page 409
First language typology......Page 410
Socio-economic status......Page 411
Quality and context of second language input......Page 412
Language Shift and First Language Loss......Page 413
Summary......Page 414
References......Page 415
Part V. Atypical Language Development......Page 421
Introduction......Page 423
20 Children with Specific Language Impairment: Bridging the Genetic and Developmental Perspectives......Page 425
Definition of Specific Language Impairment......Page 426
History of Studies of SLI......Page 428
Clinical, Genetic, and Developmental Perspectives: A Need for Bridging......Page 429
Tracking the Developmental Course of SLI Relative to Normative Development: Delay versus Disruptions in Language Acquisition......Page 430
Delayed Onset: Late Talkers......Page 431
Delays in the Language Growth Trajectories of SLI......Page 432
Disruptions in the Language Growth of Children with SLI: Finiteness Marking......Page 433
Genetics of SLI: Focus on the Phenotype......Page 437
Putting it Together: A Maturational Perspective of Inherited Timing Mechanisms and Developmental Change......Page 438
References......Page 440
21 Atypical Language Development: Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders......Page 446
Vocal and phonological development in autism......Page 447
Communicative and pragmatic development in autism......Page 448
Lexical development in autism......Page 449
Summary of language acquisition in autism......Page 450
Vocal and phonological development in Williams syndrome......Page 451
Lexical development in Williams syndrome......Page 452
Morphological and syntactic development in Williams syndrome......Page 453
Summary of language acquisition in Williams syndrome......Page 454
Vocal and phonological development in Down syndrome......Page 455
Communicative and pragmatic development in Down syndrome......Page 456
Lexical development in Down syndrome......Page 457
Morphological and syntactic development in Down syndrome......Page 458
Conclusions......Page 459
Note......Page 460
References......Page 461
22 Reading and Reading Disorders......Page 468
How Does Reading Develop?......Page 470
Does Reading Develop the Same Way in All Languages?......Page 471
Why Do Some Children Fail to Read?......Page 474
What Can Be Done to Support Children Who Fail to Read?......Page 475
Very early predictors of reading acquisition......Page 477
Early language predictors and early reading predictors (individual variation)......Page 478
Computer intervention......Page 479
Concluding Remarks......Page 480
References......Page 482
Author Index......Page 489
Subject Index......Page 496