Current Controveries in Psycholing

THE GRAY AREAS
Controversies in Psycholinguistics:
PSYCHOLINGUISTICS ferdinand bulusan

Student | PhD in Language Education
10 March 2018
Saint Louis University-Baguio Saturday | 2:00 PM
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PSYCHOLINGUISTICS Saint Louis University-Baguio
LEARNING TARGETS
Examine the cognitivist/mentalist and behaviorist theories of language acquisition
Describe the role of imitation in language learning
Discuss how thought interrelate with language
Explain and discuss the C. A. H. and the Linguistic Plateau
Ferdinand Bulusan | PhLEd Student

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CONTROVERSIES IN PSYCHOLINGUISTICS
WHY DO CONTROVERSIES IN
PSYCHOLINGUISTICS EXIST?
Plethora of variegated
data
Not just language Psychology It has rich heritage that

but also Sociology includes contributions
from diverse intellectual
psychological Philosophy tradition
aspects are involved
Biology

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Topic Map
1. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHILD ACQUIRES A LANGUAGE?
Chomskyian View Mentalists versus Behaviorists
2. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP OF LANGUAGE AND THOUGHT?
Worf vs. Pinker vs. Fodor Current Literatures
3. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF IMITATION IN LANGUAGE

BEHAVIOR?
4. ARE THERE SUCH PHENOMENA CALLED LINGUISTIC

PLATEAU AND CRITICAL STAGE IN LANGUAGE
ACQUISITION

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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHILD ACQUIRES A LANGUAGE?
CHOMSKYIAN VIEW
MENTALIST/
COGNITIVIST
BEHAVIORIST
Children are born with a mental

biological structure that is
genetically wired to process
language no need for any explicit instruction
A child has the capacity to form
infinite set of utterances because
of LAD Child needs TACIT KNOWLEDGE
Child’s mind is not tabula
rasa:.language acquisition is
dependent on species-specific module
different from general intelligence
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CHOMSKYIAN VIEW
MENTALIST/
COGNITIVIST
BEHAVIORIST
language learning depends wholly on

What’s the real the environment and that imitation Mentalists support
controversy? is central to language learning this position by
citing the
Behaviorists point out deaf creativity of human
language acquisition children. During language language
requires environmental acquisition, exposure and stimulation
environment is only a
input to trigger and by their caregivers are important
catalyst and not the stimulate language factors in language enrichment.
nucleus of language development
acquisition and learning Ferdinand Bulusan | PhLEd Student
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CHOMSKYIAN VIEW
MENTALIST/
COGNITIVIST
BEHAVIORIST
How come children

produce utterances they
never heard before?
The environment merely serves to stimulate and not to create those bits of
language for you. Everyone who knows a language knows a relatively small
number of principles, a small number of sounds put together to create words and a
large but finite vocabulary. This finite knowledge provides the person who knows a
language with infinite creativity (Fernandez & Cains, 2011).
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2. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP OF LANGUAGE & THOUGHT?
Sapir-Whorf
Pinker
Thought Thought is Fodor
depends on independent Current Studies
language. of language.
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Pssst! As far as cognition is concerned,

children can think before they talk
Hey, you! General intelligence is the

system responsible for generating the
language of thought, which in turn is
translated into speech by our
linguistic system.
Pinker (1995)
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What do current studies say about this controversy?

Leva (2011), however, suggests that language and thought are
integrated and as such cannot be processed separately .
Ogbulogo (2005) explains that as Jones (2010) counters that

the environment changes, culture
speakers of a certain language do
and language typically respond
by creating new terminologies to understand a concept even if it is
describe it. not in their language.
Which do you Encarta (2012) says the evidently close connection between language and
favor? Why are you thought does not imply that there is no thought without language.
more convinced by
such theory? Ferdinand Bulusan | PhLEd Student
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2. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP OF LANGUAGE & THOUGHT?
All thoughts require

illustration of one kind or
another but are not solely
dependent on it. However, any
representation, linguistic or
otherwise, is immensely
increased by the use of
language.
BOTTOMLINE

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3. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF

language is species-specific to
IMITATION IN man and a large number of
LANGUAGE BEHAVIOR? evidence suggests that only man
Can animals has the capacity for language
communicate in the
same sense as we have it
in the human language.
Can we actually speak of The mechanism in the human brain and
animal language? the physiological make-up of the vocal
track. This genetic make-up endows
humans with special adaptability to
language behavior.

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Some linguists
To what
believe that
imitation plays a
So, what is the extent does
critical role in major
language
controversy
imitation affect
behavior while
others claim here? language
otherwise.
learning and
IMITATION development?
is just exposure to the
adult model which
will guide the child to
formulate their own
UG - Children do not imitate blindly the adult language forms.
sentences and create All children everywhere no matter the race, color or location are
novel utterances born with a brain ready to equip them with language.
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interaction will stimulate their

linguistic creativity
systematic unfolding
of linguistic
complexity from
one-word stage to
multi-word level
When sufficient
exposure is given
to the child, they
will be attuned
genetically to
produce their own
speech
independently.
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ate vs eated Fernandez and Cairns (2011):

McNeil (1966): The effort to
correct a child is proven
‘imitation’ cannot really
futile, as the child made no be used to
describe what goes on
attempt to imitate the adult in child/caregiver interaction.
model.
Therefore children’s “imitation occurs where a

errors often go child repeats what an
unnoticed and even adult has said or at least
when noticed are not produces a child’s
corrected because the
correction does version of it immediately an
adult has said it.”
absolutely no good.
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Evidence to support Chomsky’s theory
•Children learning to speak never make

grammatical errors such as getting their subjects,
verbs and objects in the wrong order.
•If an adult deliberately said a grammatically
incorrect sentence, the child would notice.
•Children often say things that are ungrammatical
such as ‘mama ball’, which they cannot have learnt
passively.
•Mistakes such as ‘I drawed’ instead of ‘I drew’
show they are not learning through imitation alone.
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4. ARE THERE SUCH PHENOMENA CALLED LINGUISTIC PLATEAU AND CRITICAL STAGE IN
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION?
A learner reaches his or her linguistic plateau whereby attempt

to learn a language becomes more difficult.
Slobin (1972): By Critical Age Hypothesis (CAH)

presents the optimal period
the time a child is for first language acquisition
five years old, all as at “the early teen years
the basic structures after which a fully complex
linguistic system will not
of the language are develop.” This appears
in place while fine- plausible because placidity of
tuning will continue the brain is being put to test
Lenneberg (1967) after a certain age.
till late childhood.

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Other logical reasons to support the CAH

children do not have the language learning
a language to circuitry of the brain
lean on whereas is more elastic in
a second language childhood than that of
(L2) learner can an adult learner who
interact in speaks with a foreign
one language accent when they
and merely use the pick up a second
second one as a language
back-up
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LET US PUT IT IN CAPSULE!

Some controversial issues in the field of psycholinguistics exist.
Psycholinguistics is an interdisciplinary field consisting of linguistics,

psychology, philosophy and speech science among others.
Controversial issues that have been tackled. Can you name them?
Such a multi-disciplinary field of

study requires many researches to
make conclusions on language
behavior and language
development.
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REFERENCES
Carroll, D. (1999). Psychology of language. London: Brooks Cole Publishing
Catania,C.(2012).Chomsky’s formal analysis of natural languages: A behavioural translation. New York: New York
University Press
Curtiss, S. (1977). Genie: A psycholinguistic study of a modern-day “wild child.” New York: Academic Press.
Fernandez, E. & Cairns, H. (2011).Fundamentals of psycholinguistics. West Sussex:Wiley Blackwell.
Fodor, J.A. (1975). Language of thought. New York: Crowell.
Jones,C.B.(2010).“Does language dictate the way we think?” Retrieved from http//www.xabialdia.es/science 3321html.
Kayami, N. (2001) Syntax and vocabulary of mother’s speech to young children: Age and sex comparisons. Child
Development, 44, 182-185.
Lenneberg, E.H. (1967). Biological Foundations of Language. New York: Wiley.

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“The limits of my language are the limits of my world.”

Ludwig Wittgenstein
for listening!
ferdinand bulusan
Student | PhD in Language Education
Saint Louis University Baguio

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THE GRAY AREAS

PSYCHOLINGUISTICS ferdinand bulusan

Describe the role of imitation in language learning

Discuss how thought interrelate with language

Explain and discuss the C. A. H. and the Linguistic Plateau

Ferdinand Bulusan | PhLEd Student

Not just language Psychology It has rich heritage that

Ferdinand Bulusan | PhLEd Student

3. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF IMITATION IN LANGUAGE

4. ARE THERE SUCH PHENOMENA CALLED LINGUISTIC

Ferdinand Bulusan | PhLEd Student

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHILD ACQUIRES A LANGUAGE?

Children are born with a mental

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHILD ACQUIRES A LANGUAGE?

language learning depends wholly on

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHILD ACQUIRES A LANGUAGE?

How come children

2. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP OF LANGUAGE & THOUGHT?

Pssst! As far as cognition is concerned,

Hey, you! General intelligence is the

What do current studies say about this controversy?

Ogbulogo (2005) explains that as Jones (2010) counters that

2. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP OF LANGUAGE & THOUGHT?

All thoughts require

Ferdinand Bulusan | PhLEd Student

3. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF

Ferdinand Bulusan | PhLEd Student

interaction will stimulate their

ate vs eated Fernandez and Cairns (2011):

Therefore children’s “imitation occurs where a

Evidence to support Chomsky’s theory

•Children learning to speak never make

A learner reaches his or her linguistic plateau whereby attempt

Slobin (1972): By Critical Age Hypothesis (CAH)

Ferdinand Bulusan | PhLEd Student

Other logical reasons to support the CAH

LET US PUT IT IN CAPSULE!

Psycholinguistics is an interdisciplinary field consisting of linguistics,

Such a multi-disciplinary field of

Ferdinand Bulusan | PhLEd Student

“The limits of my language are the limits of my world.”

Ferdinand Bulusan | PhLEd Student

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