Ling 1 Final Part 2

Studies of the acquisition of American Sign Language suggest that... Select one: a. both the age of exposure to ASL and the length of exposure determine the eventual level of attainment in ASL, unlike spoken language. b. there is a critical period for the acquisition of signed languages, just as for spoken language. c. it is the mirror image of what is found in spoken language. The earlier the exposure, the lower the levels of eventual proficiency. d. the length of exposure to ASL is crucial, not the age when a person is exposed to it. The Critical Period Hypothesis is not relevant. e. the length of exposure to ASL is not crucial and neither is the age of exposure. The amount of explicit instruction in ASL determines the eventual proficiency for native signers.

b. there is a critical period for the acquisition of signed languages, just as for spoken language.

Which of the following statements best justifies the claim that children do not depend on direct instruction in acquiring their native language? Select one: a. There are cultures where adults do not typically direct speech to children, but the children fully acquire the language anyway. b. Children produce grammatical sentences that they could not have heard before. c. Children don't usually listen to their parents. d. A and B e. B and C

d. A and B

Why would we not want to say that reinforcement/correction plays a major role in first language acquisition? Select one: a. Adults often provide positive feedback, irregardless of whether the child's utterance is grammatical or ungrammatical. b. Adults do not systematically correct children if they say something ungrammatical. c. Lack of negative evidence in the input means that there is no opportunity for systematic reinforcement/correction by the adults. d. B and C e. A and B

e. A and B

Negative Concord

Ain't No - Double Negative

Negative Inversion

Beginning a sentence with Ain't or Can't

Does the case of Genie provide evidence for or against the existence of a critical period for language? Select one: a. For. Genie began receiving language input only at puberty near the end of the critical period. She has not been able to acquire English to native-like levels. b. Against. After training, Genie has been able to acquire an extensive English vocabulary. This would not be possible if there were a critical period. c. For. Although Genie has learned English syntax and phonetics after puberty, she struggles with morphology. d. Against. Although Genie has acquired limited English morphology after puberty, her knowledge of the phonetics and syntax is native-like. e. For. Only after extensive training was Genie able to acquire English to native-like levels. This is unlike what happens to children before the critical period. f. Against. Once Genie began to receive language input, she was able to attain native levels of English proficiency, even in the absence of explicit training.

a. For. Genie began receiving language input only at puberty near the end of the critical period. She has not been able to acquire English to native-like levels.

After washing their hands, a child says, "All gone sticky". Which of the following is likely true? Select one: a. The child probably suffers from Specific Language Impairment and has dropped the inflection as a consequence. b. The child currently has a grammar that simply does not match the adult grammar. c. The child is probably mimicking what adults in the environment say. d. A and B e. B and C

b. The child currently has a grammar that simply does not match the adult grammar.

Consider the following utterances by a 20-month-old child. [waɪt] 'light' [sʌk] 'sock' [gis] 'geese' [ʃip] 'sheep' [pɛk] 'pig' [tis] 'cheese' [bis] 'bees' [bɪp] 'bib' [kɪt] 'kid' Does this data provide evidence that children have grammatical rules? Select one: a. No. Some affricates become voiced stops, but this is inconsistent. b. Yes. For this child, word final voiced stops and fricatives become voiceless. c. No. The child changes some high vowels to low, but not consistently. d. Yes. In the child's speech, tense vowels always become lax. e. No. Almost all voiceless fricatives become voiced, but this is not consistent.

b. Yes. For this child, word final voiced stops and fricatives become voiceless.

In what sense does first language acquisition involve a "logical problem"? Select one: a. It is difficult to understand children when they begin to acquire language. The problem is how they end up being comprehensible adult native speakers. b. The speed and depth of first language acquisition make it incompatible with the rate of development in other cognitive domains like vision and hearing. c. Children are strongly resistant to grammatical correction from adults. Thus, it is not clear how they end up acquiring the language. d. Children are born ready to acquire any human language. However, they typically only acquire the one(s) in their environment. e. The kinds of input that a child receives does not seem commensurate with the grammatical knowledge that native speakers possess. f. Despite differences in culture and child-rearing practices, children all over the world still pass through identical stages of language development.

e. The kinds of input that a child receives does not seem commensurate with the grammatical knowledge that native speakers possess.

Why do we think that Universal Grammar plays a central role in first language acquisition? Select one: a. The Poverty of the Stimulus b. The rapidity of acquisition and the depth of grammatical knowledge attained c. Similar stages of language acquisition for both spoken and signed languages d. A and B e. A and C f. All of the above

f. All of the above

Comparing the cases of Genie and Chelsea, which one is more likely a better candidate to test the Critical Period Hypothesis for Language? Select one: a. Genie is better. The abuse provides us a clearer picture of what can be attained linguistically under such extreme circumstances. b. Chelsea is better because she was given explicit language training, unlike Genie. Therefore we know exactly how much progress she made. c. Genie is better. She did not receive explicit language training, unlike Chelsea. d. Chelsea is better because her first linguistic input preceded the onset of puberty. Her level of attainment is a direct test of the Critical Period Hypothesis. e. Genie is better. Dichotic listening tests show that her language is right-lateralized. The Critical Period Hypothesis predicts this to be the case. f. Chelsea is better. She was brought up in a non-abusive environment so we know that psychological factors do not play a role.

f. Chelsea is better. She was brought up in a non-abusive environment so we know that psychological factors do not play a role.