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Kidspeak: How Children Acquire Language
Jean Aitchison
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| Seminar Introduction |
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Parents eagerly await their child's first words, and even maintain that they can recognize speech in the gurgles and sounds of their tiny offspring. But to explain why we  acquire the ability to communicate with others in such an effective manner as speech is no easy task. Why, for example, do children of English-speaking parents so readily speak the language of those people around them rather than speaking in French or even in the language of birds or the clickings of machines? And how does this language acquisition continue to develop from childhood into adulthood? Jean Aitchison (right), Rupert Murdoch Professor of Language and Communication at the University of Oxford, has researched and written extensively on the topic of child language acquisition. In 1996 she was invited to present the prestigious Reith lectures at the BBC when she addressed the issue of language, subsequently published as The Language Web by Cambridge University Press. This seminar is based on an extended extract from chapter three of that book.
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| Learning Objectives |
- Acquire a broad outline of how children develop language skills.
- Explore some of the psychological and linguistic theories surrounding the acquisition of language.
- Examine some ways in which language continues to develop through the teenage years into adulthood.
- Look at suggestions as to why language itself evolves over time.
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| Sessions |
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| Credits |
This is extracted from Chapter 3 of The Language Web by Jean Aitchison, published by Cambridge University Press, 1997. Copyright Jean Aitchison, 1997.
Language is like a vast interconnected spider's web. In this volume Jean Aitchison explores the different facets of this web, ranging from its biological nature and the way in which language is acquired by children to the way the web has aided language evolution. This is the text of the 1996 BBC Reith lectures, with the addition of illustrations, suggestions for further reading and notes. An Afterword looks at the reception of the lectures.
The Language Web
Aitchison, Jean
Paperback (1997)
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| Technical Requirements |
To appreciate this seminar experience, it is critical that you have the appropriate software, plug-ins, and network connections. Please take the time to download the latest versions of the plug-ins mentioned below if you do not already have them.
Browser: Netscape versions 4.x up to 4.76, or Internet Explorer versions 4.x or later. Your browser must have JavaScript enabled and must be set to accept cookies.
Network Connection: The recommended minimum connection is 56K modem with throughput of 34Kbps or more. A faster connection is encouraged to take better advantage of the media elements in the seminar.
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