Blythe Discussion Posts1. Perceptions about the videos and results of your ‘wug’ test. Here are my Wug Test results: 1. Wugs 2. Gutches 3. Spowed 4. Kazhs 5. Ricked 6. a WUG and a house 7. Tors 8. Quirky 9. Luns 10. Nizes I enjoyed taking the WUG test and wish it was longer! It’s always fun for me to do puzzles like this one and coding. I thought it was pretty easy until I got to #6, which felt like a trick question. I would be curious to compare my answers with kids’ answers, and what factors would differentiate them. It is fascinating how kids demonstrate their ability to add endings (plurals, past tense) to non-sense words at such a young age. This shows that language is not just about memorizing words, and that kids have generalized patterns from the language they’re exposed to. Is their intricate working system an evidence of the innatist theory or interactionist theory? On a different note, I wonder if linguistic tools have been formed to test grammatical morphemes in ASL using pseudo signs. Watching Patricia Kuhl’s Ted Talk lecture entitled “The Linguistic Genius of Babies” reaffirms the importance of the critical period. The critical period or “window of opportunity” is something I’ve been familiar with for a while since my husband is a Deaf Ed teacher, and he shares frustration about his students who missed the critical period for language acquisition. Kuhl’s video provided a new lens on this concept. What I did not know was that babies can discriminate sounds of any language before they become “language/culture-bound listeners” by the time they turn one. What babies’ brains are capable of is mindblowing and is often underappreciated. I was especially surprised by the data showing no difference in the test scores between an American baby who received only 12 Mandarin language sessions and a monolingual Taiwanese baby who has been speaking Mandarin, both at the same age of 10.5 months old. Does this mean that if I want my baby to be fluent in German, the baby would only need 12 sessions of German instruction before they reach the age of 1!? I loved that towards the end, data showed that babies are “social” humans and reap no benefits from sitting in front of the tv. I agree with Keely Holder-why is that many parents think it is okay to put a child in front of the tv!? This presentation was enjoyable to watch. Steve Pinker’s “Human Nature and The Blank State” video was, on the other hand, tedious to watch! I don’t know if it was my web browser, but the captioning was not aligned with the video, so I referred to the transcript at least 3 times. My husband and I tried to navigate through his “gibberish”, and we think that the takeaway message is that we are genetically predisposed (not born with a blank state), uninfluenced by parenting and that we all enjoy arts regardless the culture we grow up in. I can understand the part about us being born with a certain temperament and talent-this explains why my parents and I are strikingly different. However, I’m having a hard time understanding how all of these are connected in the context of language learning and the point he was making, so any clarification from the classmates and Dr. Carlson would be greatly helpful! If Steve’s premise is that nature is superior to nurture, how do you explain the language delay that many Deaf children experience? They are not “predisposed” to be linguistically delayed, so the interaction of the environment ("nuture" such as parent involvement) seems to make more sense. I want to know how much the role of genetics and parenting actually shape the kid’s behavior and motivation in learning. All in all, Steve Pinker’s lecture left me with too many questions. 2a. Differences and Similarities between L1 and L2 Acquisition Theories -Theory of mind: -TOM is the ability to see the world from another’s point of view -This is important during the L1 development. -L2 does not have to go through this again. -Halliday and social theories of language: -L1 emerges through interaction between children and adults. -Recasts (reformulating sentences) happen in both L1 and L2 (depending on intensity of instruction). -L2 need to learn the social functions of L2, like L1 and understand how they differ. Chomsky and knowledge of language: -Children are prewired to respond to language input and can access UG. -L2 learners are still capable of learning structure-dependency, which is part of UG, without any assistance, same as L1 (this is still in debate). 2b. What makes languages unique to humans? While animals can communicate with each other through elaborate ways such as sounds and gestures, they don’t have the capability of creating infinite number of complex messages from a finite set of elements (sounds, letters, handshapes, etc.) and rules like humans do. This is what makes language unique to human. According to Linguistics of American Sign Language (Clayton et. al), the following features in language set us apart from other species: • Productive-Our brains allow us to produce an infinite number of sentences and introduce new topics anytime. Human language is open-ended while other species communicate through a limited set of possibilities. • Symbolic-In languages, there is a relationship between symbols, and they create meaningful words and sentences that is unique to each human language across the world. We know that when we sign “The bathroom is closeby”, we use a nonmanual signal “cs” to represent the proximity of the bathroom to the signer’s location. Grammar helps us explain the relationship between the symbols. • Flexible-Unlike animals, language allows us to constantly create and use new symbols. For example, through interaction with other Deaf people in other countries, we bring back their country signs to US and use them. Language is ever-changing to reflect today’s times. • Unrestricted domains-We can use language to express many domains from survival and emergencies to philosophy and art. While animals use a system to share information about food, danger and mating, we can talk about ANYTHING! • Duality of patterning-Symbols in the language can be organized in two ways: -breaking down and creating meaningless units (e.g. PREACH-the handshape “F” alone has no meaning.) -Creating larger meaningful units (e.g. the similar “F” handshape has meaning when signed NINE-MONTH due to other parts combined such as movement, location, palm orientation). The meaning changes when the handshape “3” is used instead of “F” to represent 3-MONTHS. • Multiple Meanings-A single symbol or group of symbols can mean different things and have different functions (such as a request for information, command, or statement). This is where pragmatics come in the picture-the context influences the message. This sentence in ASL “YOU FINISH?” could serve as a question meaning “are you finished with your dinner?” before I take away the dish to wash it or a request for a turn to speak in a group setting. • Displacement- Humans can use the language to discuss the past, future, non-immediate situations and present/immediate situations. Other species can only communicate in present situations such as hunting for food. • Changes over time-This is a major difference between language and other communication systems. New words and signs are constantly added to the repertoire to reflect new technology (such as VLOG). Other signs may change to reflect today’s trend and perspectives. • Used interchangeably-All users of a language can send and receive messages unlike other animal communication systems (e.g. bee dancing is done only by the foragers). • Monitor Use-Humans are aware of their own mistakes and can correct them as needed. We can stop ourselves and say “oh, no, I mean this…”. • -Learn language from others-We humans must interact with others in order to learn and understand the language. This may not be manifested in other communication systems. • Learn other variants of the same language- We can learn and understand other variants of the language such as accents and different signs from different communities within the US. There are variants of the sign “EARLY” according to the regions. • Can use language to discuss language-We can use the language to study the language itself! Do bees discuss their own dancing routines? No. :) Going through the list makes me realize how much we take human capacity for language for granted. The fact that chimpanzees are our closest animal relatives, and this very thing called language and its complexity is what sets us apart. Language is a window into the mind and defines who we are, making us unique. After learning about these features, I'm more disturbed by how some people still equate ASL users with chipanzees (no disrespect to chimpanzees as I love animals-I just recognize that both species are designed differently and have different capacities for communication). To sign is HUMAN! (http://vimeo.com/32297992) 3. If an L1 child can master a language in a few years, why can’t an L2 learner do the same over many years? Based on the readings, several factors explain why it takes longer for L2 learner to acquire a new language as opposed to acquiring L1. Although both L1 learners (children) and L2 learners (adults) undergo similar developmental sequences (some L2 learners may linger longer at some stages due to perceived similarities between languages) and make similar errors, the learner’s characteristics and conditions in which L2 acquisition happens play a role in mastering a language. Children as L1 learners have the following characteristics that allow them to master a language faster than L2 learners: 1. Willingness to try use the language (more opportunity to use and play with language than adults without fear). Adults avoid practicing the language when it is perceived distant and different from their L1. Affective Filter comes into play. 2. Silent period (receives input for a while before producing input. L2 learners are often forced to produce the target language without the silent period) 3. More contact hours (24/7 as opposed to classroom time) 4. Exposed to a larger range of discourse types (pragmatics) 5. Feedback (adults do not receive enough grammatical feedback, although what they say may make sense=unnoticed errors). 6. Hear vocabulary more frequently Studies show some influences L1 have on L2 acquisition. L1 learners draws on the patterns of their first language (cross-linguistic influence) and try to apply to L2, thus taking an extra time to correct those errors. L1 learners do not have to deal with that. Also, the cortical thickness also shows a possible role in acquiring a second language; once the cortex is thick, aspects of L2 takes longer to absorb due to the brain maturation. This reinforces the idea of a critical period, in which the brain has a heightened sensitivity to stimuli. I wonder how all of these readings apply to learning ASL as L2 because not only it is a new language for L2 learners but also, they are learning a new language through a different mode (visual). These studies were based on auditory languages. Would we see similar learner developmental sequences and errors? What influences would a knowledge of English as L1 have on ASL acquisition? 4. What aspects of learners’ interlanguage are most likely to affect their ability to use language effectively outside the classroom? The classroom, although not in a natural setting, is the place where input and interaction happens in the target language, and acquisition of L2 is continually progressing through ZPD. Teachers are the source of language input, feedback and encouragement, and once students leave the classroom, they lose that source unless they immerse themselves in the community where target language is used naturally. Once students start interacting with the target community, such as the Deaf Community, they will get nervous due to inhibitions and attitudes. The affective filter is high, and they become protective of their ego and do not want to be seen making mistakes. Mistakes are encouraged in the classroom, and they feel comfortable in that setting as opposed to making mistakes in front of native ASL users. Students would need to be in a comfortable state to acquire L2. This process of acculturation takes time and encouragement from the teacher and other Deaf adults to be free of that barrier. Also, students may still be stuck in the “conscious” state of learning that happens during the classroom and not allow themselves to acquire the language naturally as if “it has always been there”. It’s common to see ASL students act like “deers in headlights” at Deaf events. Fossilization can become an important consideration outside of the classroom because the teacher is not there with them to help remedy repeated errors that are hard to avoid. Chances of fossilization may be higher due to illiteracy in L1, how rich the L2 input is, presence of corrective feedback and students’ attitude towards improving the language accuracy. Lastly, there is no opportunity for a “silent period” for L2 learners, and they are forced to produce the target language right away. I wonder if when students are out of the classroom, they would fill the gap of language acquisition of putting themselves in a “silent period” at Deaf events. The research seems to dispute any contribution of the “silent period” to L2 acquisition, but I do wonder if there is an implication for this as attending the Deaf events could fulfill that role by developing competent listening/viewing skill. 5. Several theories for L2 learning have been proposed in this chapter. Is one of these theories more consistent with your understanding of how languages are learned? If so, how have your experiences as a teacher or learner brought you to this view? What ‘aha’ moments have you had when thinking what makes a concept easy to teach/learn in ASL? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0d_jKJbexg 6. Do you think you may have a preference for using a particular type of corrective feedback in your teaching? For example, would you consider yourself to be a “recaster” or a “prompter’ or do you think you would use a range of different feedback types? What could you do to find out?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=073cv9-Zhww