Imitation, Rule Learning, and

Correction

Khansa AL-Qudaimi

Do children acquire the language by imitation?

Does learning a language involve learning a set of rules?

Does correcting children’s errors assist their language learning?

Do children acquire the language by imitation?

Imitation

- How do children produce novel utterances?

- Why do children generalize some of the grammatical rules as the plural “s”, the past tense “ed”?

- Why do children generate some ungrammatical sentences in forming negation and question?

- What aspects of language do children acquire by imitation?

Speech comprehension and production and imitation

Speech Comprehension Speech Production

The process of decoding the speech signal in order to understand the spoken message. This process involves complex physiological and psychological mechanisms. (McAllister, 2003, p. 177)

The process of encoding the intended message into a linguistic form by involving complex physiological and psychological mechanisms. (Hickok, 2012)

Acoustic input

phonemes Syllables words

Imitation and speech comprehension

“Abstract rules cannot be imitated for the simple reason that they don’t exist in the physical world.”

Concept Words Structure Articulatory level

Imitation and speech production

children may learn the stage of pronouncing sounds and words by imitation

Does learning a language involve learning a set of rules?

Rule learning

“The person who has acquired knowledge of a language has internalized a system of rules that relate sound and meaning in a particular way.”

(Chomsky, 1972, p.26)

"these rules are so powerful that they strongly control the child’s output.”

Plural ‘s’

Past tense ‘ed’

We holded rabbits.

(Onnis, Roberts & Chater, 2002)

Past tense ‘ed’

Suzy: Don’t make me lost it. Father: No, don’t make me lose it. Suzy: No, not lose … losed !

“The children typically slip and lose some of the earlier learned irregular forms.”

Negation

No heavy

Yes/ No question

Is I can do that? Is you should eat the apple?

These sentences are formed on the basis of sentences like:

Is uncle getting dinner ready? Is daddy staying out tonight?

Does correcting children’s mistakes assist their language learning?

The frequent futility of correction

Child: Want other one spoon, Daddy. Father: you mean, you want the other spoon. Child: yes, I want other one spoon, please Daddy. Father: Can you say “the other spoon”? Child: Other … one … spoon. Father: Say “other”. Child: Other. Father: “Spoon”. Child: Spoon. Father: “Other spoon”. Child: Other spoon. Now, give me other one

spoon.

The frequent futility of correction

Correction of children speech typically takes the form of a corrected repetition of the child’s utterance.

When parents try to correct their children’s speech, the results are often fruitless and frustrating.

The frequent futility of correction

It’s quite a burden for a child to correct some mistakes because s/he has to:1. Note the difference between her own

utterances with that of her parents.

2. Determine what the nature of the error is.

3. Figure out a way to permanently change her grammar or strategies so that it yields the parents utterances in the future.

The frequent futility of correction

This is not the case with older children who will be able to correct their mistakes.

The frequent futility of correction

To sum up …

Demirezen, M. (1988). Behaviourist theory and language learning. Hacettepe Vniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi , 135-140.

Hickok, G. (2012). Computational neuroanatomy of speech production. Nature Reviews Neuroscience , 135-145.

Hickok, G. (2009). The functional neuroanatomy of language. Physics of Life Reviews , 121-143.

Lanir, L. (2012, 12 7). First language acquisition theories: Nature vs. nurture. Retrieved from Decoded Science: http://www.decodedscience.com

McAllister, R. (2003). A speech comprehension measurement tool: Normalization and measurement of perceptual foreign accent. PHONUM , 177-180.

Onnis, L., Roberts, M., & Nick, C. (n.d.). Simplicity: A cure for overgeneralizations in language acquisition?

Williamson, G. (2009, 10 7). Phonetics. Retrieved from speech therapy information and resources: http://www.speech-therapy-information-and-resources.com/phonetics.html 

References

Thanks for listening