Semantics In Language Acquisition

Author : Kristen Syrett,Sudha Arunachalam
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing Company
Page : 399 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2018-08-02
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027263605

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Semantics in Language Acquisition by Kristen Syrett,Sudha Arunachalam Pdf

This volume presents the state of the art of recent research on the acquisition of semantics. Covering topics ranging from infants' initial acquisition of word meaning to the more sophisticated mapping between structure and meaning in the syntax-semantics interface, and the relation between logical content and inferences on language meaning (semantics and pragmatics), the papers in this volume introduce the reader to the variety of ways in which children come to realize that semantic content is encoded in word meaning (for example, in the event semantics of the verbal domain or the scope of logical operators), and at the level of the sentence, which requires the composition of semantic meaning. The authors represent some of the most established and promising researchers in this domain, demonstrating collective expertise in a range of methodologies and topics relevant to the acquisition of semantics. This volume will serve as a valuable resource for students and faculty, and junior and seasoned researchers alike.

Author : Veerle van Geenhoven
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 366 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2006-07-15
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781402044854

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Semantics in Acquisition by Veerle van Geenhoven Pdf

This volume contains writings focusing on semantic phenomena and their interpretation in the analysis of the language of a learner. The variety of phenomena that are addressed is substantial: temporal aspect and tense, specificity, quantification, scope, finiteness, focus structure, and focus particles. These phenomena are investigated is many languages. The volume creates a theoretical as well as an empirical bridge between semantic research on the one hand and psycholinguistic acquisition studies on the other.

Author : Stan A. Kuczaj
Publisher : Psychology Press
Page : 512 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 1982
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 0898591007

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Language Development: Syntax and semantics by Stan A. Kuczaj Pdf

First published in 1981. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Author : Sabrina Noccetti,Elena Tribushinina,Maria D. Voeikova
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Page : 495 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2015-09-18
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781443883269

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Semantics and Morphology of Early Adjectives in First Language Acquisition by Sabrina Noccetti,Elena Tribushinina,Maria D. Voeikova Pdf

This book is about how toddlers learn their first adjectives, such as, for example, red, big and tasty. Adjectives denote properties and enter child vocabularies later than words for objects (such as apple and tree) and actions (such as eat and run), probably due to lower frequencies in parental speech and greater conceptual complexity. Adjective acquisition has received relatively little attention in child language research. Furthermore, cross-linguistic studies of adjective learning are virtually non-existent. This book represents the first systematic analysis of how children learning typologically different languages acquire adjective form, function and meaning. The cross-linguistic comparisons undertaken in the book provide valuable insights into universal and language-specific aspects of language acquisition. For each of the languages studied in this volume, the development of adjective semantics is studied in tandem with the development of morphology by testing two hypotheses: (a) the acquisition trajectory in the domain of adjectival morphology is determined by the typological properties of the target language; (b) irrespective of the languages being acquired, adjective learning is facilitated by universal conceptual mechanisms such as comparison and contrast.

Author : Roumyana Slabakova
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter
Page : 341 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2008-12-10
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9783110211511

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Meaning in the Second Language by Roumyana Slabakova Pdf

This book reviews recent research on the second language acquisition of meaning with a view of establishing whether there is a critical period for the acquisition of compositional semantics. A modular approach to language architecture is assumed. The book addresses the Critical Period Hypothesis by examining the positive side of language development: it demonstrates which modules of the grammar are easy to acquire and are not subject to age effects. The Bottleneck Hypothesis is proposed, which argues that inflectional morphology and its features present the most formidable challenge, while syntax and phrasal semantics pose less difficulty to learners. Findings from the neurofunctional imaging (PET, fMRI) and electrophysiology (ERPs) of L2 comprehension are reviewed and critically examined. Since it is argued that experimental tasks in those studies are mostly in need of linguistic refinement, evidence from behavioral studies of L2 acquisition of semantics are brought to bear on comprehension modeling. Learning situations are divided into two types: those presenting learners with complex syntax, but simple semantics; and those offering complex semantic mismatches in simple syntactic contexts. The numerous studies of both types reviewed in the book indicate that there is no barrier to ultimate success in the acquisition of phrasal semantics.

Author : Susan Foster-Cohen
Publisher : Springer
Page : 338 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2009-07-16
Category : Education
ISBN : 9780230240780

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Language Acquisition by Susan Foster-Cohen Pdf

This book provides a snapshot of the field of language acquisition at the beginning of the 21st Century. It represents the multiplicity of approaches that characterize the field and provides a review of current topics and debates, as well as addressing some of the connections between sub-fields and possible future directions for research.

Author : Alan Juffs
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 1996-08-23
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027285645

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Learnability and the Lexicon by Alan Juffs Pdf

This book provides a critical review of recent theories of semantics-syntax correspondences and makes new proposals for constraints on semantic structure relevant to syntax. Data from several languages are presented which suggest that semantic structure in root morphemes is subject to parametric variation which has effect across a variety of verb classes, including locatives, unaccusatives, and psych verbs.The implications for first and second language acquisition are discussed. In particular, it is suggested that different parametric settings may lead to a learnability problem if adult learners do not retain access to sensitivity to underlying semantic organization and morphological differences between languages provided by Universal Grammar. An experiment with Chinese-speaking learners of English is presented which shows that learners initially transfer L1 semantic organization to the L2, but are able to retreat from overgeneralisations and achieve native-like grammars in this area. Suggestions for further research in this rapidly developing area of theory and acquisition research are also made.

Author : Mihaela Tănase-Dogaru,Alina Tigău,Mihaela Zamfirescu
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Page : 349 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2021-07-01
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781527571815

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Deconstructing Language Structure and Meaning by Mihaela Tănase-Dogaru,Alina Tigău,Mihaela Zamfirescu Pdf

This volume brings together a number of researchers working on generative syntax and semantics, language acquisition and phonology to explore various theoretical frameworks, ranging from generative grammar and formal semantics to more descriptive approaches. The contributions gathered here investigate various aspects in the syntax, semantics, phonology and acquisition of Romanian in comparison with other (mainly Romance) languages. The book will be of interest to linguists who are keen on keeping up with the latest advances in the field of Romance studies, as well as those whose research bears on languages such as Hungarian, German, and Maltese, among others.

Author : Laurence B. Leonard
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 280 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 1976
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : UOM:39015008240007

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Meaning in Child Language by Laurence B. Leonard Pdf

Author : Jiyoung Choi,Hamida Demirdache,Oana Lungu
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Page : 342 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2018-04-18
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781527509818

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Language Acquisition at the Interfaces by Jiyoung Choi,Hamida Demirdache,Oana Lungu Pdf

This volume is a collection of papers presented at the 12th Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition Conference held at the University of Nantes, France, in 2015. Language acquisition, a field of inquiry that has witnessed continuous growth during the past four decades, is central to building a detailed understanding of the human amazing capacity to develop language. The papers gathered here reflect the current research in the field of first, second and heritage language acquisition, addressing a variety of topics in syntax, semantics, phonology and their interfaces, from a wide range of languages such as Tashlhiyt Berber, English, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, European Portuguese, Heritage Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Heritage Sign Language, and Yudja. This volume will thus serve as a valuable reference guide to all scholars interested in (first/second/bilingual) language acquisition, multilingualism, heritage languages, sign language, language pathology and impairment, and experimental research in linguistics.

Author : Melissa Bowerman
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 249 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2018-07-17
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789004362826

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Ten Lectures on Language, Cognition, and Language Acquisition by Melissa Bowerman Pdf

Melissa Bowerman’s lectures present a lucid detailed account of her research on how children build up a semantics for domains such as space in their first language, and the roles played by adult speech, typology, and cross-linguistic variation.

Author : Jill G. De Villiers,Peter A. De Villiers
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 340 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 1978
Category : Foreign Language Study
ISBN : 0674509315

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Language Acquisition by Jill G. De Villiers,Peter A. De Villiers Pdf

The study of language acquisition has become a center of scientific inquiry into the nature of the human mind. The result is a windfall of new information about language, about learning, and about children themselves. In Language Acquisition Jill and Peter de Villiers provide a lively introduction to this fast-growing field. Their book deals centrally with the way the child acquires the sounds, meanings, and syntax of his language, and the way he learns to use his language to communicate with others. In discussing these issues, the de Villiers provide a clear and insightful treatment of the classic questions about language acquisition: Does the child show a genetic predisposition for speech, or grammar, or semantics which makes him uniquely able to learn human language? What kinds of learning are involved in acquiring language and what kinds of experience with a language are necessary to support such learning? Is there a critical period during the child's development which is optimal for language acquisition? And what kind of psychological disabilities underlie the failure to acquire language?

Author : Kekang He
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 241 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2019-11-26
Category : Education
ISBN : 9789811511042

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Semantic Perception Theory by Kekang He Pdf

Based on an in-depth study of children’s language development theory, this book puts forward the original proposition that semantic perception is the human sixth sense. Presenting a detailed, complete, and scientific argumentation, it asserts that the innateness of semantic perception has a physiological basis and that language acquisition is based on semantic perception, and proposes the idea of a critical period of nurture and language growth. To this end, the book not only contrasts children’s language acquisition processes and the process of adult speech generation and comprehension, but also discusses the ability to read and write, describing this important stage of children’s language development and analyzing semantic perception. Focusing on education and psychology, it also discusses the use of semantic perception theory to instruct teaching and learning. This book is a valuable resource for teachers, researchers, practitioners and graduate students in the fields of educational technology, child development and language learning, as well as anyone interested in children’s language development.

Author : Eric Wanner,Lila R. Gleitman
Publisher : CUP Archive
Page : 546 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 1982-12-30
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 0521282381

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Language Acquisition by Eric Wanner,Lila R. Gleitman Pdf

This book offers a comprehensive study of language development. The contributors, all well-known psychologists, represent a very broad range of theoretical persuasion. Each chapter summarises research on a major problem and relates results to fundamental questions about how children acquire language. Among the issues treated are the role of input in acquisition, the processes of underlying lexical and semantic development, the implications of cross-linguistic research for acquisition theory, the pros and cons of functionalist approaches to language learning and the psychological consequences of a major new formal theory of language learning. In their long and thoughtful introduction, the editors demonstrate the complementarity of studies focused on seemingly separate problems and identify apparent trends, both theoretical and methodological. Taken together, these chapters provide an entry point into an increasingly complex field for the growing number of researchers and students in psychology and linguistics whose work requires an understanding of the child's first steps in language.

Author : Helen Goodluck
Publisher : Wiley-Blackwell
Page : 236 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 1991-08-26
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 0631173862

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Language Acquisition by Helen Goodluck Pdf

This text is an up-to-date introduction to language acquisition, designed to meet the needs of advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students in linguistics and cognitive science. It is the first language acquisition text to be written from the perspective of recent theoretical linguistics, and uses Chomskyan generative grammar as a framework for description. Taking models and analyses from generative phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics, Professor Goodluck describes children's language acquisition using examples from a variety of languages. Further chapters take up central questions concerning cognitive mechanisms by which children process language and form rules, the nature of the input to the language learner, and the relation between language development and other aspects of cognitive development. The book is extensively illustrated with models and figures, and each chapter is followed by questions for discussion and suggestions for further reading. It also includes a full bibliography.