Languages Acquisition

Language acquisition and development require biological preparation.

Babies’ language performing acts

6 weeks : start cooing

16 weeks : laugh & chuckle

~ 6 month : vowel-ish sound

~ 9 month : (true) syllables ; word-object association

10 - 18 month : vocabulary explosion

General belief : babies are born with innate abilities.

→ Is it right?

⇒ How do we humans acquire language?

<aside> 👄 We use "acquire" rather than "learn" : not planned, not intentioned.

</aside>

Rationalist

language capacity is present from birth

nature > nurture

⇒ Chomskian

Empiricist

the new born is a blank slate

nurture > nature

⇒ Piagetian

experience and languaue exposure