Abstract
Language learners encounter numerous opportunities to learn regularities, but need to decide which of these regularities to learn, because some are not productive in their native language. Here, we present an account of rule learning based on perceptual and memory primitives (Endress, Dehaene-Lambertz, & Mehler, Cognition, 105(3), 577–614, 2007; Endress, Nespor, & Mehler, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(8), 348–353, 2009), suggesting that learners preferentially learn regularities that are more salient to them, and that the pattern of salience reflects the frequency of language features across languages. We contrast this view with previous artificial grammar learning research, which suggests that infants “choose” the regularities they learn based on rational, Bayesian criteria (Frank & Tenenbaum, Cognition, 120(3), 360–371, 2013; Gerken, Cognition, 98(3)B67–B74, 2006, Cognition, 115(2), 362–366, 2010). In our experiments, adult participants listened to syllable strings starting with a syllable reduplication and always ending with the same “affix” syllable, or to syllable strings starting with this “affix” syllable and ending with the “reduplication”. Both affixation and reduplication are frequently used for morphological marking across languages. We find three crucial results. First, participants learned both regularities simultaneously. Second, affixation regularities seemed easier to learn than reduplication regularities. Third, regularities in sequence offsets were easier to learn than regularities at sequence onsets. We show that these results are inconsistent with previous Bayesian rule learning models, but mesh well with the perceptual or memory primitives view. Further, we show that the pattern of salience revealed in our experiments reflects the distribution of regularities across languages. Ease of acquisition might thus be one determinant of the frequency of regularities across languages.
Highlights
Acquiring language involves learning multiple regularities about the internal structures of linguistic units, such as words, phrases and sentences
Regularities in sequence offsets were easier to learn than regularities at sequence onsets. We show that these results are inconsistent with previous Bayesian rule learning models, but mesh well with the perceptual or memory primitives view
The rejection rates for the four test item types are shown in Fig. 2
Summary
Acquiring language involves learning multiple regularities about the internal structures of linguistic units, such as words, phrases and sentences. These regularities can apply to different properties of linguistic units, for instance their identity, their position and the relations between them, and, more often than not, multiple regularities apply to any given linguistic object. The regularities can differ in their scope, some applying to only a few items, others to entire categories of items, with or without exceptions. Given these complexities, it is nothing short of astounding that infants manage to become competent speakers of their native language. We still do not have a full account of the acquisition of grammar, and we know even less about how learning proceeds when learners are faced with several regularities simultaneously
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