Theories and Models in Language Development

Theories and Models in
Language Development
Group 4
Mary Joy P. Naisa
Jhetro Bonete
Grace Ann Asis
Objectives:
 Introduction
 Four Domains of Language Development Phonology, Syntax,

Semantics and Pragmatics
 Three Theories of Language Development
 Learning Theory
 Nativist Theory
 Interactionist Theories
INTRODUCTION
 When we communicate successfully, we do so because we are able

to do at least four different things
 FIRST, we need to be able to perceive and produce the sounds

that make up a language and convey meaning to other people.
 SECOND, we need to know what the words of a language mean.

INTRODUCTION
 THIRD, we need to know to put these words together in

grammatically appropriate ways such that others will easily
understand us.
 FOURTH, we need to know how to effectively use our language to

communicate with other.
Four Domains of Language Development Phonology, Syntax,
Semantics and Pragmatics
 PSYCHOLOGISTS who study language refer to each of these processes by

different names.
 How we produce meaningful sounds is the study of PHONOLOGY.
 The study of grammar (or SYNTAX) refers to how we learn the rules of
language
 SEMANTICS is the study of word meaning and how we acquire a vocabulary.
 PRAGMATICS is the study of how we use language to achieve communicative

goals.
Theories of Language Development
1. Learning Theory
 Perhaps the most straightforward explanation of language development
is that it occurs through the principles of learning, including association
and reinforcement (Skinner, 1953).
 Additionally, Bandura (1977) described the importance of observation

and imitation of others in learning language. He argued that language is
learned through environmental interactions or nurture. Children learn
the language that they hear spoken around them rather than some other
language. He also argued that language learning takes place primarily
by processes of observation and imitation. Simple put, a children
overhear language being used and they imitate the behavior of these
models.
2. Nativist Theory
 Children are biologically predisposed to learn a language.
 Chomsky (1968) proposed that children come equipped
with an innate mental structure – the language
acquisition device (LAD) – which makes learning easier.
 According to Chomsky, the LAD contains a set of features
common to all languages, which he termed a universal
grammar.
 Universal grammar refers to the entire set of rules or
linguistic parameters which specify all possible human
languages.
2. Nativist Theory
 The learning of grammar occurs when LAD operates on
speech to abstract out the linguistic parameters which
underlie the particular language used in the child’s
environment.
 Chomsky termed this process of determining the
parameters or rules of one’s native language parameter
setting.
 There is little evidence, neurological evidence to support
the existence of a biologically based LAD. Presumably
there should be some pattern of damage that hinder our
ability to learn a language.
3. Interactionist Theories
 Interactionist theories are concerned with interplay between
environmental & biological factors in the process of acquiring
language.
 Interactionists tend to view children as having a strong biological
predisposition to acquire a language.
 However, in contrast to nativists, internactionists stress the
importance of both the social support that parents provide the young
language learner, as well as the social contexts in which language
learning child is instructed.
 Bruner (1983) argues parents provide their children a language
acquisition support system or LASS
3. Interactionist Theories
 The LASS is a collection of strategies that parents employ to
facilitate their children’s acquisition of language.
 One of these strategies is scaffolding, the deliberate use of
language at a level that is slightly beyond what children can
comprehend.
 With parental support, scaffolding leads that child to aquire
complex language more quickly then they might on their own.
 Another pair of techniques that adults employ is expansion and
recast.
 Expansion occurs when an adult takes a child’s utterance and
expands on its complexity.
Conclusions
 Each of the three theoretical persperctive adds something to
the study of human language.
 Learning Theory provides some thoughts on plausible
mechanisms that might underlie the acquisition of at least some
facets of human language.
 Nativist Theory highlights the fact that now all aspects of a
language can be learned in the time that humans typically do
and thus, that an innate language mechanism must be a part of
our equipment.
 Interactionist Theory highlight the important role of the social
environment and the important role social input has in
structuring our language learning.

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Theories and Models in

 Four Domains of Language Development Phonology, Syntax,

 Three Theories of Language Development

 When we communicate successfully, we do so because we are able

 FIRST, we need to be able to perceive and produce the sounds

 SECOND, we need to know what the words of a language mean.

 THIRD, we need to know to put these words together in

 FOURTH, we need to know how to effectively use our language to

 PSYCHOLOGISTS who study language refer to each of these processes by

 How we produce meaningful sounds is the study of PHONOLOGY.

 SEMANTICS is the study of word meaning and how we acquire a vocabulary.

 PRAGMATICS is the study of how we use language to achieve communicative

 Additionally, Bandura (1977) described the importance of observation

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