Module overview
You may have asked yourself how children learn their first language or whether some animals can speak just like humans do. People often wonder whether there are any lifelong benefits of bilingualism as well. This module introduces you to the field of language acquisition providing answers to these questions and more. The module is an introduction to relevant theories and research methods in language acquisition exploring conflicting proposals including ‘Universal Grammar’ and usage-based approaches. The module also provides you with a comprehensive overview of relevant aspects of bilingual acquisition by both children and adults including cases of children learning a minority language (‘heritage language acquisition’) and adults ‘forgetting’ their first language (language attrition).
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Analyse data and to express results of that analysis cogently and concisely.
- Take notes and keep records; abstract and synthesise information, and organise the results appropriately
- Communicate effectively and confidently including being able to engage an audience in discussion and sustaining a long and complex piece of writing;
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- A good understanding of the main principles and theories in the field of first language acquisition and bilingualism;
- The relationship between language and the mind, including the study of bilingualism, psycholinguistics and language acquisition;
- Understand the biological capacities that make language acquisition possible, as well as the role that social factors play in this process.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Collect, analyse and present empirical (linguistic) data;
- Formulate and defend personal judgements clearly and persuasively on the basis of evidence;
Syllabus
The first few weeks will introduce you to some of the most important theories of first language acquisition as well as the main questions guiding research in this field, in particular how much of the acquisition process if innate and how much is social. These first sessions will also allow you to familiarise with the linguistic milestones reached by children from birth to about five years of age in the areas of vocabulary, morphosyntax and phonology. In the second part of the module the focus is shifted to language acquisition in bilingual contexts by both children and adults. The role that both linguistic and social factors play in the success of bilingual acquisition will be explored in detail. You will also learn about language attrition, when acquisition of a first language is interrupted and even reversed, and about the learning experience of ‘heritage language speakers’
Topics are likely to include:
- Biological Bases of Language Development. Exploring the ‘human language faculty’. Animal vs human language.
- Theories of language acquisition: Piaget, Vygotsky and Chomsky.
- Acquiring a first language: defining the task and main milestones
- Acquiring a first language: phonological, syntactic and lexical development
- Acquiring a first language: how much is innate?
- Acquiring a first language: the role of social interaction and gesture.
- The Critical Period Hypothesis.
- Child bilingual acquisition: exploring the role of input
- Child bilingual acquisition: biological foundations and lifelong consequences.
- Incomplete language acquisition: exploring heritage language acquisition.
- Adult bilingualism: exploring native language attrition
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
- 1 lecture per week
- 1 seminar per week
The lectures serve to introduce, analyse and investigate key aspects of language acquisition, bilingualism and attrition. The seminars provide you with preliminary general guidance to apply that knowledge to the analysis of real acquisition data which will be drawn from established datasets (e.g. CHILDES and ‘Talkbank’).
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Seminar | 12 |
Preparation for scheduled sessions | 70 |
Wider reading or practice | 10 |
Revision | 20 |
Completion of assessment task | 26 |
Lecture | 12 |
Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Internet Resources
Journal Articles
Senghas, A., & Coppola, M. (2001). Children creating language: How Nicaraguan sign language acquired a spatial grammar. Psychological Science, 12(4), pp. 323-328.
Ritchie, W.C. & Bhatia, K.T (1999). Child language acquisition: introduction, foundations, and overview. Handbook of child language acquisition, pp. 3-32.
Pearson, B. Z (2007). Social factors in childhood bilingualism in the United States. Applied Psycholinguistics, 28(3), pp. 399-410.
Hauser, M. D., Chomsky, N., & Fitch, W. T. (2002). The faculty of language: What is it, who has it, and how did it evolve?. Science, pp. 1569-1579.
Textbooks
Retherford, K. S. (2007). Guide to analysis of language transcripts. Greenville, SC: Thinking Publications.
Hoff, E. (2009). Language Development. Belmont, Ca: Wadsworth / Cengage Learning:.
Lust, B.C. and Foley, C. (2004). First Language Acquisition: The Essential Readings. Blackwell.
Stillwell Peccei, J (2006). Child language: a resource book for students. Routledge.
Harley, T. (2001). The psychology of language. Psychology Press.
Guasti, M. T. (2002). Language Acquisition: The growth of grammar. MIT Press..
Pinker, S. (1999). Words and rules. Basic Books..
Assessment
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
In-seminar assessments
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback:
- Final Assessment: No
- Group Work: No
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Research essay | 50% |
Data Analysis | 50% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Research essay | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Data Analysis | 50% |
Research essay | 50% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External