An Introduction to Psycholinguistics

by Steinberg, Danny; Sciarini, Natalia V

• ISBN13: 9780582059825
• ISBN10: 0582059828
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-01
• Publisher: Pearson ESL

Summary

This book is a thorough introduction to psycholinguistics, and shows how the area relates to psychology, linguistics, philosophy and education. It focuses on how young children acquire language and demonstrates how sign language helps us to gain a deeper understanding of the acquisition process. It also explores more complex and challenging topics such as mental grammar and sentence processing, the relationship of language to thought and culture to the brain. Other topics include second language acquisition processes, teaching methods and the cognitive impact of bilingualism.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Acknowledgements	xiii
PART 1: FIRST LANGUAGE	1	(92)
How children learn language	3	(27)
The development of speech production	3	(13)
Speech understanding and its importance	16	(6)
Parentese and Baby Talk	22	(3)
Imitation and correction	25	(2)
Discussion questions	27	(3)
Suggested readings	28	(2)
Animals and language	30	(18)
Teaching language to the chimpanzee, gorilla and dolphin	30	(10)
Animal communication in the wild	40	(2)
Animal communication and human language	42	(1)
Pygmy chimp reheats debate	43	(2)
Conclusions regarding animals and language	45	(1)
Discussion questions	46	(2)
Suggested readings	47	(1)
Wild children and language	48	(19)
Legends, evil kings and emperors	48	(2)
Victor: the Wild Boy of Aveyron	50	(5)
Genie: raised in solitary confinement	55	(4)
Isabelle: confinement with a mute mother	59	(2)
Helen: the famous deaf and blind girl	61	(2)
A critical age for first-language acquisition?	63	(2)
Discussion questions	65	(2)
Suggested readings	66	(1)
Sign language, written language and the deaf	67	(26)
Soundless language	67	(1)
Language without speech	67	(2)
Gestures and signs	69	(4)
Sign languages	73	(7)
The sign language struggle in deaf education	80	(2)
The Oral Appraoch	82	(2)
The Written Language Appraoch	84	(5)
A parting note on deaf education	89	(1)
Discussion questions	90	(3)
Suggested readings	90	(3)
PART 2: LANGUAGE AND MIND	93	(108)
Mental grammar	95	(21)
Grammar and psycholinguistics	95	(1)
Chomsky's competence and performance distinction	96	(1)
Chomsky's grammatical conceptions	97	(13)
Linguistic challenges to Chomsky's grammar	110	(3)
Discussion questions	113	(3)
Suggested readings	114	(2)
Sentence processing and psychological reality	116	(17)
Meaning, sound and syntax relations in Chomsky's grammar	116	(1)
Why Chomsky's grammar is not a performance model	117	(2)
Types of performance models	119	(4)
Some features of sentence production and understanding	123	(5)
The psychological unreality of Chomsky's grammar	128	(1)
The anti-Mentalist skeletons in Chomsky's closet	129	(2)
Discussion questions	131	(2)
Suggested readings	131	(2)
Language: from intelligence or innate ideas?	133	(25)
Where do language ideas come from?	133	(2)
Empiricist and Rationalist answers	135	(2)
Chomsky's Universal Grammar	137	(2)
Arguments re intelligence and Universal Grammar	139	(14)
Mentalism and Behaviourism contrasted	153	(2)
Discussion questions	155	(3)
Suggested readings	156	(2)
Language, thought and culture	158	(16)
The arrest of the Sunday School teacher	158	(1)
Speech as the basis of thought	159	(1)
Arguments against this idea	160	(3)
Language as the basis of thought	163	(3)
Arguments against this idea	166	(3)
Where language does affect thought	169	(1)
Thought as the basis of language	170	(1)
Discussion questions	171	(3)
Suggested readings	173	(1)
Language and the brain	174	(27)
Brain structure and function	174	(3)
Hemispheric dominance and lateralization	177	(4)
Language areas and functioning	181	(3)
Brain maturation and critical age for learning language	184	(2)
Language disorders	186	(8)
Methods of investigating brain and language	194	(3)
Mind and brain	197	(2)
Discussion questions	199	(2)
Suggested readings	200	(1)
PART 3: SECOND LANGUAGE	201	(59)
Children vs adults in second-language acquisition	203	(16)
A common belief	203	(1)
Psychological factors affecting second-language learing	203	(7)
Social situations affecting second-language learning	210	(3)
Who is better?	213	(2)
Critical age	215	(2)
Discussion questions	217	(2)
Suggested readings	217	(2)
Second-language teaching	219	(23)
Dimensions and methods	219	(2)
Traditional methods	221	(7)
The Chomskyan revolution and contemporary methods	228	(10)
Conclusions	238	(2)
Discussion questions	240	(2)
Suggested readings	241	(1)
Bilingualism and cognition	242	(18)
Varieties of bilinguals	242	(1)
Is bilingualism beneficial or detrimental?	243	(7)
Simultaneous and sequential learning situations	250	(4)
Transfer Effect of L1 on L2 learning	254	(4)
Discussion questions	258	(2)
Suggested readings	258	(2)
Author Index	260	(3)
Subject Index	263