Language acquisition

Aims

Aims

The module provides

• an overview of child first language acquisition, focusing on phonology and syntax;
• an introduction to related topics including some (but not necessarily all) of the following: adult second language acquisition, child bilingualism, language development in special populations;
• an introduction to theories of language acquisition;
• an introduction to methods of investigation language acquisition.

Students should acquire:

• a basic understanding of the typical sequence of child language development in the areas of phonology and syntax;
• a basic understanding of key issues in language acquisition in at least one related area. This may include adult second language acquisition, child bilingualism, and/or language acquisition in special populations, and may vary from year to year;
• knowledge of the techniques used in studying language development;
• an awareness of the relationship between languages acquisition data and general issues of linguistic competence/performance and cognition in general;
• an awareness of the role of linguistic theory in developing accounts of language acquisition.

Students will practice the following skills during the module:

• Academic writing
• Analytic reasoning
• Understanding experiment design
• Reading and interpreting statistical data