coursemapLoading course
School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
One of the most remarkable properties of humans is that we acquire a very complex linguistic interactional system early in life. Along the way, children make adjustments to how they produce utterances and interpret what they hear. Understanding out how we do this takes us on a fascinating journey, visiting research highlights that speak to the core of human cognition and social interaction. What psycholinguistic processes explain an utterance such as "Nail polish me!" or "We holded the baby rabbits"? What conclusions can we draw about what is universal in language development versus what is language or culture specific? Do children always imitate their care-givers or do they bring innovations into a language? We will explore the development of language abilities from several perspectives, including unilingual and multilingual contexts, and across languages of different types, drawing on differing theoretical approaches.
Quizzes (15 minutes each)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3
Major research report (4,000 words)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
Final exam (2 hours)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 4
Class participation and discussion
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 4
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact: 24 hours of lectures, 12 hours of tutorials; and b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing. Other Information Usually offered in alternate years
Saxton, M. (2017). Child Language: acquisition and development. London: Sage. Preliminary Reading Students will be given a full reading list at the beginning of the semester.