How Children Learn Language (Cambridge Approaches to Linguistics)

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 5
Title......Page 7
Copyright......Page 8
Contents......Page 9
Acknowledgments......Page 10
1 Small talk......Page 11
Sounds, words, and sentences......Page 12
Methods 101......Page 14
What’s next......Page 15
2 The great word hunt......Page 17
1. Where are the words?......Page 19
Two learning styles......Page 20
2. How children find words......Page 22
Spotlights......Page 23
Making matches......Page 26
3. Learning inflection......Page 28
The plural ending-s......Page 29
The past tense ending -ed......Page 31
Irregular verbs......Page 32
Irregular nouns......Page 34
How many times do you have to hear me say that?......Page 35
1. Conversion......Page 36
2. Derivation......Page 37
3. Compounding......Page 38
I want to scissor it – learning conversion......Page 39
It’s crowdy in here – learning derivation......Page 40
Let’s go by sky-car – learning compounds......Page 43
Compounds and plurals......Page 47
Summing up......Page 48
1. First meanings......Page 50
Why nouns?......Page 52
Noun-lovers and noun-leavers......Page 53
2. Not enough and too much......Page 54
If it looks like a duck . . .......Page 55
Did you do that on purpose?......Page 58
3. Fast mapping......Page 60
4. Tools of the trade – how children learn nouns......Page 62
Using your head (cognitive constraints)......Page 63
Help from family and friends (social constraints)......Page 64
Lessons from language (linguistic constraints)......Page 66
Being exclusive (an organizational constraint)......Page 68
5. Learning verbs......Page 71
Bootstrapping......Page 73
Some tough verbs......Page 74
6. Learning adjectives......Page 77
Sizes......Page 78
Colors......Page 80
Numbers......Page 81
7. Learning prepositions......Page 82
   Errors of omission and commission......Page 83
8. Learning pronouns: I and you......Page 85
Summing up......Page 88
1. Getting started......Page 90
Grammar in the cradle?......Page 91
Real words and real sentences......Page 92
Tracking the growth of sentences......Page 93
2. Pivotal words......Page 96
3. Getting things lined up......Page 98
Big rules and little rules......Page 99
4. Missing big pieces......Page 100
Caught in the bottleneck......Page 101
5. Missing small pieces......Page 102
One by one......Page 104
6. Learning to say \"not\"......Page 106
No light verbs......Page 107
A negative beginning......Page 108
7. I, me, and my......Page 109
8. Who? What? Where?......Page 112
What are you asking about?......Page 113
9. Yes–no questions......Page 116
Long moves......Page 118
10. Other constructions......Page 120
The arrival of relatives......Page 122
Summing up......Page 123
1. What a word can do......Page 124
How much can children understand in the one-word stage?......Page 126
2. Two is better than one......Page 127
How much can children understand in the two-word stage?......Page 128
Children\'s early passives sentences......Page 130
Why passives are still hard to understand......Page 131
4. Understanding things that aren\'t there......Page 134
Keeping it short......Page 135
Making promises......Page 136
It\'s easy to see......Page 138
5. Understanding pronouns......Page 140
Reflexive responses......Page 141
6. Pronouns and stories......Page 145
Strange stories......Page 147
7. Can you quantify that?......Page 148
Summing up......Page 151
1. An ear for language......Page 153
Consonants in the cradle......Page 154
2. Can you hear that?......Page 155
I said “fis,” not “fis”......Page 156
How do you spell that?......Page 157
3. Babbling......Page 158
Babbling across languages......Page 159
4. Early vowels and consonants......Page 161
Early vowels and consonants......Page 162
Deletion......Page 163
Substitution......Page 165
Assimilation......Page 167
6. Stress is good......Page 169
Summing up......Page 170
1. Why it\'s not imitation......Page 174
2. Why it\'s not teaching......Page 177
Setting a good example......Page 179
How serious are parents about recasting?......Page 182
Do recasts help?......Page 183
3. So, what DO children need?......Page 185
Does motherese help?......Page 187
What really matters......Page 188
When things go wrong......Page 190
5. The search for the acquisition device......Page 192
View #1: The acquisition device is just for language......Page 193
Clues to categories......Page 195
Blueprints for sentences......Page 196
View # 2: The acquisition device is not just for language......Page 197
So which view is correct?......Page 199
6. Learning to learn......Page 200
Conservative estimates......Page 201
Getting out of trouble......Page 203
Doing goodly......Page 204
7. A final word......Page 206
Appendix 1 Keeping a diary and making tape recordings......Page 208
How to calculate MLU......Page 212
Appendix 2 The sounds of English......Page 214
Consonant sounds......Page 215
Vowel sounds......Page 216
2. The great word hunt......Page 217
3. What’s the meaning of this?......Page 219
4. Words all in a row......Page 221
5. What sentences mean......Page 222
6. Talking the talk......Page 223
7. How do they do it?......Page 225
Appendix 1......Page 227
References......Page 228
Index......Page 248