Language as a process
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William A. Croft
Abstract
Language is not the result state of some type of learning process, but is a process itself, so that there is complete continuity in kind between what an infant is doing and what an adult is doing with language. This chapter describes three fundamental language processes undertaken by children and adults. Language is part of joint action: language is a conventional coordination device for communication, which in turn is an effective coordination device for joint action. Language itself is behavior: speakers replicate linguistic structures in utterances for social purposes. The nature of the replication process guarantees that replication generates variation and ultimately language change (cultural evolution). Finally, language is also verbalization: the construal of human experience into lexicogrammatical form. Keywords: Process; joint action; coordination device convention; verbalization
Abstract
Language is not the result state of some type of learning process, but is a process itself, so that there is complete continuity in kind between what an infant is doing and what an adult is doing with language. This chapter describes three fundamental language processes undertaken by children and adults. Language is part of joint action: language is a conventional coordination device for communication, which in turn is an effective coordination device for joint action. Language itself is behavior: speakers replicate linguistic structures in utterances for social purposes. The nature of the replication process guarantees that replication generates variation and ultimately language change (cultural evolution). Finally, language is also verbalization: the construal of human experience into lexicogrammatical form. Keywords: Process; joint action; coordination device convention; verbalization
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- List of contributors ix
- Introduction 1
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Part I. Extracting regularities
- Toward a theory of gradual morphosyntactic learning 15
- Cues to form and function in the acquisition of German number and case inflection 35
- Developing first contrasts in Spanish verb inflection 53
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Part II. Multiple cues in learning to communicate
- A new look at redundancy in children's gesture and word combinations 75
- Learning the meaning of “ um ” 91
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Part III. Discovering units
- From first words to segments 109
- Analysis and generalization across verbs and constructions 135
- Two- and three-year-olds' linguistic generalizations are prudent adaptations to the language they hear 153
- Units of learning in language acquisition 167
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Part IV. Individual differences
- Causes and consequences of variability in early language learning 181
- Individual differences in measures of linguistic experience account for variability in the sentence processing skill of five-year-olds 203
- Genetic variation and individual differences in language 223
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Part V. Mechanisms for learning
- Language as a process 241
- Memory, sleep and generalization in language acquisition 261
- Bayesian modeling of sources of constraint in language acquisition 277
- Index 295
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- List of contributors ix
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Extracting regularities
- Toward a theory of gradual morphosyntactic learning 15
- Cues to form and function in the acquisition of German number and case inflection 35
- Developing first contrasts in Spanish verb inflection 53
-
Part II. Multiple cues in learning to communicate
- A new look at redundancy in children's gesture and word combinations 75
- Learning the meaning of “ um ” 91
-
Part III. Discovering units
- From first words to segments 109
- Analysis and generalization across verbs and constructions 135
- Two- and three-year-olds' linguistic generalizations are prudent adaptations to the language they hear 153
- Units of learning in language acquisition 167
-
Part IV. Individual differences
- Causes and consequences of variability in early language learning 181
- Individual differences in measures of linguistic experience account for variability in the sentence processing skill of five-year-olds 203
- Genetic variation and individual differences in language 223
-
Part V. Mechanisms for learning
- Language as a process 241
- Memory, sleep and generalization in language acquisition 261
- Bayesian modeling of sources of constraint in language acquisition 277
- Index 295
