Domains Of Language Development Research Articles

The gradual coevolution of syntactic combinatorics and categorization under the effects of human self-domestication: a proposal

The gradual emergence of syntax has been claimed to be engaged in a feedback loop with Human Self-Domestication (HSD), both processes resulting from, and contributing to, enhanced connectivity in selected cortico-striatal networks, which is the mechanism for attenuating reactive aggression, the hallmark of HSD, but also the mechanism of cross-modality, relevant for syntax. Here, we aim to bridge the gap between these brain changes and further changes facilitated by the gradual complexification of grammars. We propose that increased cross-modality would have enabled and supported, more specifically, a feedback loop between categorization abilities relevant for vocabulary building and the gradual emergence of syntactic structure, including Merge. In brief, an enhanced categorization ability not only brings about more distinct categories, but also a critical number of tokens in each category necessary for Merge to take off in a systematic and productive fashion; in turn, the benefits of expressive capabilities brought about by productive Merge encourage more items to be categorized, and more categories to be formed, thus further potentiating categorization abilities, and with it, syntax again. We support our hypothesis with evidence from the domains of language development and animal communication, but also from biology, neuroscience, paleoanthropology, and clinical linguistics.

Özel Yetenekli Bireyleri Konu Edinen Filmlerin İncelenmesi

Introduction: The mass media tools, which affect all areas of life, also influence the perceptions of gifted individuals. The perception of the gifted individual drawn by these tools shapes the perspective on gifted individuals and special abilities. Films, among these tools, take an important place in terms of their power to reach socioeconomic audiences of all ages and all levels. The objective of this study is to reveal how gifted characters are presented in films about gifted individuals.Method: The characteristics of characters in demographic and different developmental domains (cognitive, personality, social-emotional, and language) were evaluated by examining 36 films about gifted individuals. Films with a gifted individual in the lead role were included in the study. The 36 films reached by meeting this criterion constitute the research objects of the study. The data of the study, designed with the case study method, were collected by document analysis and analyzed by the descriptive analysis method. A checklist including demographic characteristics and cognitive, social-emotional, language, and personality development characteristics of gifted individuals prepared by the researchers based on the literature was used to analyze the films reached. The characteristics of gifted characters were examined by considering the checklist.Findings: According to the research findings, gifted characters were usually depicted as males in the examined films, and some characters had various diagnoses accompanying their special abilities. Concerning developmental domains, the following dimensions were observed to come to the forefront: strong memory in the domain of cognitive development, self-awareness in the domain of social-emotional development, using the language correctly and fluently in the domain of language development, and self-discipline in the domain of personality development.Conclusion: It is observed that the characteristics of gifted characters are usually reflected in films in a way overlapping with the literature. In this context, it can be recommended that films about gifted individuals should be shot in Turkey by taking the opinions of experts working in the field of gifted education.

Language Delay and the Effect of Milieu Teaching on Children Born Cocaine Exposed: A Pilot Study

Children born prenatally exposed to cocaine are at-risk for poor developmental outcome, particularly in the domain of language development. The current pilot study was designed to examine feasibility and efficacy of a Milieu Teaching (MT) paradigm on the language development of children prenatally exposed to cocaine. Four children enrolled in an early intervention program were given 16 weeks of a MT language intervention, provided by an interventionist, and focused on the elicitation of both single and multi-spontaneous word production. Results indicated that from baseline to the end of the intervention, students made encouraging progress. This was demonstrated in both videotaped interactions and on the Receptive–Expressive Emergent Language Test (REEL). These results were particularly significant given results of previous cohorts on the REEL. Finally, discussion is presented concerning feasibility of MT and its true efficacy in children born prenatally exposed to cocaine.

Native language attrition and developmental instability at the syntax-discourse interface: Data, interpretations and methods

Montrul's study is an important contribution to a recently emerged research approach to the study of bilingualism and languages in contact, characterized by its sound theoretical basis and its reliance on data from different – and traditionally non-integrated – domains of language development: bilingual first language acquisition (Müller and Hulk, 2001; Paradis and Navarro, 2003; Serratrice, 2004; Serratrice, Sorace and Paoli, in press), adult second language acquisition (Filiaci, 2003; Sorace, 2003), and native language attrition (Gurel, 2002; Tsimpli, Sorace, Heycock and Filiaci, in press). The generalization that is emerging from this approach is that interfaces between syntax and other cognitive systems (i.e. discourse pragmatics, lexical-semantics) exhibit more developmental instability than narrow syntax. For L1 attrition, which is the specific focus of the paper, this means that aspects of grammar at the syntax–discourse interface are more vulnerable to attrition than purely syntactic aspects. The identification of restrictions on the domain of occurrence of attrition is consistent with much previous descriptive research on this topic (e.g. Seliger and Vago, 1991). More recently, the same conclusion has been reached by a study on individual language attrition by Tsimpli et al. (in press), who investigated knowledge of the referential pronominal system in Greek and Italian in very advanced speakers of English. In this paper, Montrul tests the generalization on second-generation speakers of Spanish – or “heritage speakers” – a bilingual group that presents different characteristics from the adult L2 speakers investigated in Tsimpli et al.'s study. In addition to referential subjects, she also focuses on a different interface area of grammar – direct objects – that had not been investigated before. In these respects, Montrul's study is a welcome development. In other respects, however, the data are less than convincing and do not allow a straightforward interpretation. My commentary focuses on three fundamental questions raised not only by this study, but also by this type of research in general. The main focus will be the expression of referential subjects since this aspect of grammar has been investigated in other studies and therefore offers the possibility of direct comparison among results.