Table Of ContentUnderstanding Child Language
Acquisition
Taking an accessible and cross-linguistic approach, Understanding Child Language
Acquisition introduces readers to the most important research on child language acquisition
over the last fifty years, as well as to some of the most influential theories in the field. Rather
than just describing what children can do at different ages, Rowland explains why these
research findings are important and what they tell us about how children acquire language.
Key features include:
∑ Cross-linguistic analysis of how language acquisition differs between languages
∑ A chapter on how multilingual children acquire several languages at once
∑ Exercises to test comprehension
∑ Chapters organised around key questions that discuss the critical issues posed by
researchers in the field, with summaries at the end
∑ Further reading suggestions to broaden understanding of the subject
With its particular focus on outlining key similarities and differences across languages
and what this cross-linguistic variation means for our ideas about language acquisition,
Understanding Child Language Acquisition forms a comprehensive introduction to the
subject for students of linguistics, psychology, and speech and language pathology.
Students and instructors will benefit from the comprehensive companion website
(www.routledge.com/cw/rowland) that includes a students’ section featuring interactive
comprehension exercises, extension activities, chapter recaps and answers to the exercises
within the book. Material for instructors includes sample essay questions, answers to the
extension activities for students and PowerPoint slides including all the figures from the
book.
Caroline Rowland is Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Liverpool.
Her research focuses on how children acquire language, with a particular interest in
grammar and in assessing how the child’s environment promotes and shapes language
growth. She is a series editor for the Trends in Language Acquisition (TiLAR) book series
and an associate editor for the Journal of Child Language.
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Understanding Language series
Series editors:
Bernard Comrie, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
Greville Corbett, Surrey Morphology Group, University of Surrey, UK
The Understanding Language series provides approachable, yet authoritative, introductions
to major topics in linguistics. Ideal for students with little or no prior knowledge of linguistics,
each book carefully explains the basics, emphasising understanding of the essential notions
rather than arguing for a particular theoretical position.
Other titles in the series:
Understanding Language Testing
Dan Douglas
Understanding Morphology, Second Edition
Martin Haspelmath
Andrea D. Sims
Understanding Phonetics
Patricia Ashby
Understanding Phonology, Third Edition
Carlos Gussenhoven
Haike Jacobs
Understanding Pragmatics
Jef Verschueren
Understanding Second Language Learning
Lourdes Ortega
Understanding Syntax, Third Edition
Maggie Tallerman
Understanding Semantics, Second Edition
Sebastian Löbner
For more information on any of these titles, or to order, go to www.routledge.com/linguistics
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UUnnddeerrssttaannddiinngg
Child Language
Child Language
Acquisition
Acquisition
CCaarroolliinnee RRoowwllaanndd
Routledge
^ Taylor & Francis Group
LONDON AND NEW YORK
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First published 2014
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2014 Caroline Rowland
The right of Caroline Rowland to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any
electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only
for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Rowland, Caroline, 1971-
Understanding child language acquisition / Caroline Rowland.
pages cm. -- (Understanding Language Series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Language acquisition. 2. Language awareness in children. I. Title.
P118.R69 2013
401’.93--dc23
2013008620
ISBN: 978-0-415-82713-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-4441-5265-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-77602-5 (ebk)
Typeset in 11 on 12pt Minion by Phoenix Photosetting, Chatham, Kent
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For George, Lauren and Amy
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Contents
List of figures and tables xi
Acknowledgements xiii
Preface xv
1 Introduction to language acquisition 1
1.1 The issue 1
1.2 What is language? 2
1.3 Humans and other animals 8
1.4 Getting the conditions right 13
1.5 Chapter summary 17
1.6 Suggested reading 18
1.7 Suggested reading (advanced level) 18
1.8 Useful websites 19
1.9 Comprehension check 19
2 The sounds of language 20
2.1 The issue 20
2.2 Speech perception: identifying the meaningful sounds of our language 21
2.3 How do we learn to segment the speech stream? 32
2.4 Speech production: learning to produce the meaningful sounds of our
language 39
2.5 Chapter summary 45
2.6 Suggested reading 46
2.7 Suggested reading (advanced level) 46
2.8 Comprehension check 47
3 Learning the meaning of words 49
3.1 The issue 49
3.2 Constraints theory part I: the role of innate constraints 55
3.3 Constraints theory part II: the developmental lexical principles framework 58
3.4 Other routes to word learning 60
3.5 The role of syntax: the syntactic bootstrapping account 68
3.6 The integration: the emergentist coalition model (ECM) 73
3.7 Chapter summary 77
3.8 Suggested reading 78
3.9 Suggested reading (advanced level) 78
3.10 Comprehension check 79
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viii Contents
4 Acquiring syntax 80
4.1 The issue 80
4.2 Nativist theories of syntax acquisition 86
4.3 Constructivist theories of syntactic development 96
4.4 How do children learn to constrain their productivity? 104
4.5 Chapter summary 111
4.6 Suggested reading 112
4.7 Suggested reading (advanced level) 112
4.8 Comprehension check 114
5 Acquiring morphology 115
5.1 The issue 115
5.2 What is inflectional morphology? 116
5.3 How do children learn their language’s inflectional system? 120
5.4 Nativist accounts I: maturational theories 122
5.5 Nativist accounts II: probabilistic parameter setting 125
5.6 Constructivist theories 128
5.7 How do we store and produce inflections? 131
5.8 Chapter summary 141
5.9 Suggested reading 142
5.10 Suggested reading (advanced level) 143
5.11 Comprehension check 144
6 Learning to communicate 145
6.1 The issue 145
6.2 Communication without words 146
6.3 Communicating with language 154
6.4 Communicative impairments 164
6.5 Chapter summary 171
6.6 Suggested reading 173
6.7 Suggested reading (advanced level) 173
6.8 Comprehension check 174
7 Multilingual language acquisition 175
7.1 The issue 175
7.2 One system or two? 176
7.3 Predictors of successful bilingualism 189
7.4 Effect of bilingualism on cognitive development 197
7.5 Chapter summary 200
7.6 Suggested reading 201
7.7 Suggested reading (advanced level) 201
7.8 Comprehension check 202
8 Explaining individual variation 203
8.1 The issue 203
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Contents ix
8.2 Individual variation 204
8.3 Extraordinary language acquisition 214
8.4 The relationship between language and cognitive impairment 220
8.5 Chapter summary 229
8.6 Suggested reading 230
8.7 Suggested reading (advanced level) 231
8.8 Useful websites 231
8.9 Comprehension check 231
9 The search for language universals 233
9.1 The issue 233
9.2 Language variation and language universals 233
9.3 Chomsky’s Universal Grammar 234
9.4 The nature of the language learning mechanism 245
9.5 Chapter summary 256
9.6 Suggested reading 257
9.7 Suggested reading (advanced level) 257
9.8 Useful websites 258
9.9 Comprehension check 258
References 260
Index 296
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