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306A: Special edition

First-languageacquisition

Guest lecturer

1st language acquisition

Interview with Galen

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StagesPre-natal

no output; some input processing0 - 2 mo

vegetative noises2 - 5 mo

responsive cooing, laughing4 - 7 mo

short-burst babbling6 - 12 mo

reduplicative babbling9 - 18 mo

non-reduplicative babbling18 - 72 mo

all hell breaks loose

Pre-natal to 7 mo (roughly)

Pre-natalnative languagediscrimination

0 - 5migration from expressive(indexical) noises tocommunicative noises tovocal play

4 - 7 moa wide range of noisesnarrows down towardcommunity speech sounds(phones).

6 to 12 mo (roughly)

Reduplicativebabblingmama, gaga, babaphonological practice,

rather thancommunication

increased control overarticulators

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9 to 18 mo (roughly)

Non-reduplicative babblingintonation and stress patterns

of language“Gee, that sounds like Language X”

(X = Swedish, Hindi,Basque, …), but justmore sophisticated practicing

overlaps with word deve-lopment and communicative intent

“expressive jargon”

bij hQpij hQpij hQpij hQpij...

g!kij g!kij g!kij g!kij g!kij ...

Ajno Ajno Ajno Ajno Ajno...

Proto-words (Galen, 15 mo)

WORD PRONUCIATION CONTEXT

thpthpthpbeja-bejabeja-bwamay-uh!chebwe

moadubba-dubba

† p † p † p † pb e d Ω ä b e Ω äb e d Ω √ b w \

m e √tß´bwim o √

d\b\d\b\

Said with such conviction while pointing atvarious objects, forehead intensely puckered, orin private discussions with Doug or Teddy or

Big Bird, that his father came to believe Galenwas learning Urdu or Klingon or Hittite on the

side, perhaps all three, and was probablyteaching them to his stuffed animals.

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Proto-words (Galen, 15 mo)

WORD PRONUCIATION CONTEXT

oh-hohfffffow!

whoosh!Oh?

num-numthank-you

Uh-huhwow!

o÷hofffffauww√ß÷o

n √ m n √ m√ m

√ h √wauw

said when something mysterious happened.said when food needed cooling

said when his anatomy encountered hard objectssaid around sneezes and flushing toilets

said when humouring parentssaid of gastronomic pleasure

said in reciept of objectsaid in bored agreement

said in appreciation of the wonders of the universe

Proto-words (Oriana, 16 mo)WORD PRONUCIATION CONTEXTS

negative

affirmative

gone

uh-oh

get-your-ass-in-gear

there you are

nej, now, mm

mmm

ga

√ ÷ o : w

√÷ √÷√÷√÷

e j √ a

said when declining; often accompanied by, orsubstituted with, vigorous head shaking

said when accepting; sometimes accompaniedwith one, slight, upward jerk of the head

said when something is gone

said when something is unnaccountablyassaulted by gravity

said when something is desperately required(being carried; getting out of the crib; getting

lifted over a barrier)

said during exchanges of objects

Is that right?

!wu !m wAp! wAp!

mm hmm

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Pardon me?

dudawa dej !t! dudijdij

dudawa dej !t! dudijdij

Words (Galen, 15 mo)WORD PRONUCIATION ACCOMPANIMENT/SUBSTITUTE

catcowlamb

monkey

duck

whalelionbirdbearyakowlotter

tættaolæm

m\nti

d √ t

w e j √lajnb é r §b ´jæt

auwata

"mrroww""mooo""baaa"

"eh-eh-eh-eh"

a trilled, lateral, tongue-against-inner-cheeks flapping

none(non-totemic)

Words (Oriana, 16 mo)WORD PRONUCINATION CONTEXTS

ow auw said when hurt hurtgetting tickled when she doesn't want to be tickled

said being inconvenienced in any way

more m o w √

said mostly of food and drink, but also of otherquantifiable things (blocks, books) and activities (beingcarried); said sometimes before she has had any of what

she is asking for.

hi-ya h a j √ said in greeting

"smack" nnnn√ an air kiss

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Words (Galen, 15-17 mo)chair, man, truck, hat, horn, vegetables, night-time,baby, medicine,shampoo, belt, watch, mail, sleep,button, train, pizza, fan, light, bath, diaper, hospital,paper, submarine, …

Mostly “nouns”, some “verbs”, two “prepositions”, afew “adjectives”, some “greetings”.

Conversing with Oriana (14 mo)

Oriana: bApA! bApA!IR: Yes, Oriana?

Oriana: wu baktijn matsa mow!IR: Juice?

Oriana: gij (affirmative intonation, nod)

Conversing with Oriana (16 mo)

Oriana: bApA! bApA!IR: Yes, Oriana?

Oriana: hQmij wu tA wuIR: Juice?

Oriana: wu (affirmative intonation, nod)

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14mo +

Proto-words andwords commingle

“Noun”-heavyThe dedication and

joy of acquisition

(27 mo)

PAPAPAPAPAPA! WHAT did you BRING!? You brought GROCERIES!You brought CANS OF SOUP! (picking them out of the bag and running

off with them; he has no particular fondness for soup; it was justsomething to shout about). (Returning) And you brought GARBAGE

BAGS! GREEN ONES! These are BIG GREEN GARBAGE BAGS! AndLIGHTBULBS!

Suprasegmental phonology (Galen)

He’s b-a-a-A-A-A-a-a-d, papa. That beetle’s b-a-a-A-A-A-a-a-a-d! (23 mo)

I want to go outs-i-i-i-i-I-I-I-I-i-i-i-i-de! (22 - 25 mo)I want Strawbe-e-e-e-E-E-E-E-e-e-e-e-ries! (24

mo)No-o-o-O-O-O-o-o-o! (a lot, c20 - 26 mo)DeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeetABLE!

(22 mo)L-l-l-l-et’s go outside! (24 mo)

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General vocal behaviours (Galen)noises, hoots, and squealswide range of voices (slow, fast, creaky,

redrum, Louis-Armstrongish plaint)demented chanting (deedeedeedee …

deedeedeetABLE)special pronuciations (Bhhhr-e-e-a-a-duh,

t.a.b.le.s.a.n.d.ch.ai.r.s)(walks: groucho, flying nun, stiff-legged side-

step, and wiggle-butt)

Syntax (Galen)Hellooo Papa! Hellooo cat! Hellooo pitzy truck! (c17 mo; said to everybody

and everything, with devout conviction that an answer would come back)More X! (More books! More banana! More sticks! ...; c17 mo)Want some juice now, for Galen. (19 mo)Go! Go! Go! (c18 mo; said while running full tilt in no specific direction)Let’s go! (c18 mo; said just before running full titlt in no specific direction)Run! Run! Run! (c18 mo; see “Go! Go! Go!”)I’ll take it! (c19 mo, of anything which took his fancy)Must take it! (c20 mo; this one often had a noun in place of the pronoun, as in

“Must take tractor!”)Go this way! (Let’s go this way!;18 - 22 mo; said, usually in the car but

sometimes when being carried, while pointing in any direction you’re notgoing)

Maybe X! (Maybe sit down! Maybe read a book! Maybe sit down right here!;19 mo)

Syntax (Oriana)

SENTENCES CONTEXT

I want some pineapple (13 mo)

Papa! It banged it! (14 mo)

That is supper! That there! (15 mo)

a telephone conversation-game, after "tellthem what you want"

after her head collided with the table

she wanted toast; I was providing soup

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I’m a bit sore today.

I don’t want you to be sore. I wantyou to be clean. I want you to be

clean in your diaphragm.

You’ve got a freckle.

What’s a freckle called?

It’s called a “freckle”.

No. What are freckles called?

Maybe means “no”!I know it means “yes or no” but it really means “no”.I know what it really means, but … Just forget about it!It means no!

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[To a stuffed pig:] You miss your parents? That’s OK. Ihave a memory of them. They were pink. Just a minute,I have a memory of them. [Goes off and returns with along pink snake.] Here it is. It’s a memory of your momand dad.

This is an other-nose, and this is an other-nose.(pointing, 28 mo)

Morphology (Galen)Those are ambulances , Papa: ambulancES! (21 mo)

I’m digestING my penne, mommy. DigestING. (28mo)

WolFS, papa, wolFS. Not wolVES, wolFS (28 mo)I’m up-pleased (c 27-29 mo)

I need a ball to tennis (26 mo; upon picking up atennis racket)

What’s it for tanking? (27 mo; of a tanker truck)

This is an other-nose, and this is an other-nose.(pointing, 28 mo)

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Lexical innovation (Oriana)That will feel me better! (also, That will feel me up)

Fish! Dragon! I’ll call it a ‘funny-fish dragon’. Is that agood deal?

‘Na’ means I’m going to be your sister again. Okay?Okay, Galen?

Whatever.

….. Na! …. Na! …. Na! Na, Galen!

Morphology (Oriana)…need to keep our hands undry. (38 mo)

It was still unwet (38 mo)

Galen’s the most unlistener!

[on finding a newspaper in our driveway]Somebody slobbed us!

Well, Linda and Auntie Dolly are bestest mommies in the world.But you’re the most bester mommy in the world, mommy!

Sameday

Well, papa. I don’t wantyou to do no morejokeness. You did

jokeness. Why did you dothat? That jokeness.

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Lookit!That’s a school, a school

of fish.

Which one’s theteacher?

Mmm-hmm

… Thumbelina’s warmnesssaved the swallow. …

… Her warmth revivedthe swallow. …

Philosophy of language

Hello cat. I’m fine. I’m fine. You’re fine. (Oriana, 19 mo)Don’t be noisy, wind! I’m talking, wind! Don’t be noisy! That’s rude!

Don’t be rude, wind! (Galen, 27 mo)Don’t blow! Wind! Don’t blow! (Oriana, 32 mo)No! Don’t say that! Don’t say it, Papa! (Oriana, 26 mo)I’m pretending you didn’t tell me that. You pretend too, Papa! (Galen,

28 mo)

G: I want some salt, please, Mommie.M: Just a minute, Darlo.G: Some salt please, Mommie.M: … no response ...G: Some of that white stuff there. (Galen, 27 mo)