Revising frequent assumptions and theories in L1 acquisition - AFO520009

• Title: Revising frequent assumptions and theories in L1 acquisition
• Guaranteed by: Institute of Phonetics (21-FU)
• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Actual: from 2022
• Semester: summer
• Points: 0
• E-Credits: 6
• Examination process: summer s.:
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:1/1, C [HT]
• Capacity: 12 / 12 (unknown)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: Mgr. Nikola Paillereau, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): Mgr. Nikola Paillereau, Ph.D.

Annotation

Last update: Mgr. Veronika Erdélyiová (02.11.2022)

The course is based on an extensive literature review of L1 acquisition with a focus on language discrimination, phonetic acquisition of speech sounds and prosody, and word acquisition in the first year of life. Students will be challenged to re-think
some mainstream assumptions and theories that are constantly implicitly or explicitly referred to in the infant literature. What does it mean to be a universal listener? Where does this concept come from? Are theories of language discrimination, such
as rhythmic theory (Nazzi et al., 1998) and native language acquisition hypothesis (Nazzi et al., 2000) as well as the theory of early word segmentation called the rhythmic segmentation hypothesis (Nazzi et al., 2006) well-grounded and empirically
verified? Based on selected readings, students will discuss contributions and limitations of these theories and hypotheses.

The course is intended primarily for MA-level students in the disciplines of phonetics and linguistics, but also psychology, speech therapy, and others. The course is given in English.

Course completion requirements

Last update: Mgr. Veronika Erdélyiová (02.11.2022)

Regular attendance (2 absences allowed).

Active participation in class discussions, based on readings that are assigned as homework.

Each student is expected to have one major contribution to a class discussion based on readings, critically challenging some key concepts in the infant literature (20%) and 3 minor contributions based on assigned readings (30%).

Final test (50%).

Literature

Last update: Mgr. Veronika Erdélyiová (02.11.2022)

Chládková, K., & Paillereau, N. (2020). The What and When of Universal Perception: A Review of Early Speech Sound Acquisition. Language Learning, 70(4), 1136-1182. doi:10.1111/lang.12422

Eimas, P. D., Siqueland, E. R., Jusczyk, P., & Vigorito, J. (1971). Speech perception in

infants. Science, 171, 303-306. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.171.3968.303

Goyet, L., Millotte, S., Christophe, A., & Nazzi, T. (2016). Processing Continuous Speech in Infancy. Oxford Handbooks Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199601264.013.8

Mehler, J., Jusczyk, P., Lambertz, G., Halsted, N., Bertoncini, J., & Amiel-Tison, C. (1988). A precursor of language acquisition in young infants. Cognition, 29(2), 143-178. doi:10.1016/0010-0277(88)90035-2

Moon, C., Lagercrantz, H., & Kuhl, P. K. (2013). Language experienced in utero affects vowel perception after birth: A two-country study. Acta Paediatrica, 102, 156-160. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.12098

Nazzi, T., Bertoncini, J., & Mehler, J. (1998). Language discrimination by newborns: Toward an understanding of the role of rhythm. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 24(3), 756-766. doi:10.1037/0096-1523.24.3.756

Nazzi, T., Jusczyk, P. W., & Johnson, E. K. (2000). Language Discrimination by English-Learning 5-Month-Olds: Effects of Rhythm and Familiarity. Journal of Memory and Language, 43(1), 1-19. doi:10.1006/jmla.2000.2698

NAZZI, T., IAKIMOVA, G., BERTONCINI, J., FREDONIE, S., & ALCANTARA, C. (2006). Early segmentation of fluent speech by infants acquiring French: Emerging evidence for crosslinguistic differences. Journal of Memory and Language, 54(3), 283-299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2005.10.004

Nishibayashi, L.-L., Goyet, L., & Nazzi, T. (2015). Early speech segmentation in French-learning infants: Monosyllabic words versus embedded syllables. Language and Speech, 58(3), 334-350. https://doi.org/10.1177/0023830914551375

Ramus, F. (2002). Language discrimination by newborns. Annual Review of Language Acquisition, 2, 85-115. doi:10.1075/arla.2.05ram

White, L., Mattys, S. L., & Wiget, L. (2012). Language categorization by adults is based on sensitivity to durational cues, not rhythm class. Journal of Memory and Language, 66(4), 665-679. doi:10.1016/j.jml.2011.12.010

White, L., Luche, C. D., & Floccia, C. (2016). Five-month-old infants‘ discrimination of unfamiliar languages does not accord with “rhythm class.” Speech Prosody 2016. doi:10.21437/speechprosody.2016-116

Zacharaki, K., & Sebastián-Gallés, N. (2021). The ontogeny of early language discrimination: Beyond rhythm. Cognition, 104628. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104628