Combining Words: Early Construtions

Should these count as multi-word utterances?

Single Word Utterances

Series of Single Words

Clark: No

Takes same amount of time to produce word alone or in series of single words

Should be shorter if it were part fo a multi-word utterance

Pitch of final word is too similar to others

Last word in multi-wrod utterance should be higher pitched

Capirci: Deictic gestures as a part of two-word utterances

Deictic gesture + word = same form as a two-word utterance

Slobin: Function of two-word utterances are fairly universal

Common functions of two-word utterances

- Request

-Locate

-Negate

-Describe

-Possess

-Modify

Implies that strings of single words share a common linking function that bridges single word utterances to multi-word utterances

Multi-word utterances

Issues with learning by analogy

Kids don't create ungrammatical or impossible analogies

Young kids understand syntax

If given: I painted a barn red

Wouldn't create: I saw a barn red

Know difference between agents and objects dependign on position

Stages of Langauge

Language Development

How do kids learn language?

Analogy?

Imitation?

Issues with imitation

Kids can produce S that they have never heard before

Mispronounce words even when corrected

Can create complicated syntactic structure from a young age

And parents don't frequently correct them

Impossible for kids to have memorized all the S they produce

Issues/Constraints in Language Acquisition

Words refer to concepts, but concepts are ambiguous

Example:

- House

- Outhouse

- Lighthouse

- Doghouse

Categories also change over time

Gavagai Problem-

- See a rabbit and hear word "gavagai" then think that means "rabbit"

- But it could mean ears, tail, fur, etc

Relies on...

Whole-Object Assumption

Mutual Exclusivity Assumption

Innate Abilities

Have minimal concepts and context, but have infinite generativity