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Child Language Acquisition

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CHILD LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 2

Child language acquisition

Language acquisition is an outcome of complex, repetitive, and active learning. In the

first six years of a child's life, during language acquisition, the brain is said to change and

learn more than when trying to acquire any cognitive ability. An adult's role in a child's life is

to help them learn language by simply talking and engaging them in conversations (Saxton,

2017). The theories of language acquisition are the behaviorist theory, cognitive theory,

interactionism, and mentalist theory. In this research, the focus will be on two main theories,

the behaviorist theory and the mentalist theory, which are mostly applied for native language

acquisition. 

           The behaviorist theory of language acquisition states that infants learn verbal language

from human beings who are their role models in a process that involves practice, imitation,

and rewards. When a kid attempts spoken language or tries sounds imitation or speech

patterns, they are usually praised and shown affection for the great efforts. In this theory,

adoration and praise become the rewards the child is offered (Saxton, 2017). However, this

theory is criticized in the fact that if a child's language is motivated by giving of awards, if the

awards are not given, does the speech stop? 

           The mentalist theory insists that the mind has a role in the acquisition of language by

arguing that human beings from their birth are born with a biological and innate capacity that

enables them to learn the language. Mentalism theory is based on the thought process of

perceived power that is mastered through experience or through interactions with a mentalist

who is experienced. Mentalism in language acquisitions is related to generative linguistic that

tries to give a description of the language mental patterns that cause the underlying language

behavior (Saxton, 2017). The mentalist theory in the learning of a foreign language invites the
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present classroom materials and procedures. It lays a great emphasis on the competence of a

student as opposed to a student's performance. 

Necessary conditions for a child to acquire language

           For a child to acquire language and learn about the language, they need to receive a lot

of language input, while in language learning, social interactions are also required. There are

some components that are necessary for the language development of a child, which includes;

phonology, semantics, morphology, pragmatics, and syntax. Morphology is the study of

words, while syntax is the sentence structure study. Semantics is the language meaning study.

Pragmatics is the study of the regulation that controls language usage in any social situation.

Phonology is the study of how languages organize their sound systematically (Saracho, 2017).

Language is influenced by the age, motivation that a child is given when learning a language.

The teaching strategies, the support is provided at home whereby there could be the speaking

of another language in the environment where the child lives. Previous linguistic knowledge,

the learning environment, and the input that is comprehensively given by the child's

personality.

Critical period hypothesis (CPH) claim

           The critical period hypothesis is the (CPH) is a language and linguistic long time

debate where the language acquisition ability through biology is linked to a child's age. CPH

states that the critical time in which a human being can learn their first language is through

their first few years, whereby if they are presented with adequate incentives and argues that

neuroplasticity the backbone of the acquisition of the first language is (Rahman, et al., 2017).

CPH explains how the development of language is readily and easily formed over the first few

years compared to age five to puberty, where language acquisition can be less successful and
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complicated. In a child's development, the first three years are essential in a child's brain

shaping and architecture up to the age of five years, whereby there is a direct impact on how

children develop emotional and social abilities and learning skills. 

Genie the wild child case

           Genie, the wild child, had lived thirteen years of her life in an enclosed room with

nothing to watch or something even to watch. Genie's father had decided to put Genie in an

enclosed room because he felt that she was mentally disabled (Kendra, 2021). The social

workers chose to save Genie's life where they noted that the young girl lived like a primitive.

The girl's legs could not walk in a straight manner, and she had no feelings towards people.

Her speech's significant steps were not formed at her early age though the scientists interested

in her case wanted to see whether she would be back to be an average child. The girl's father

killed himself after the authorities had gotten Genie out of her parents' custody.

The father could not hold being in prison. Genie's mother was arrested, and it was also

said that she had also been put in the same situation as Genie at her young age because she

was termed as abnormal. When the funds for Genie were cut off, she had to go back to her

mother, where after some time due to emotional and mental abuse, she was made to go

through made her forget her acquired linguistic skills (Kendra, 2021). The mother also stated

that she could not live with the child where she is believed to have been put under the care in

California. Her case continues to be read down in history, and it is said to have attracted a lot

of researchers and scientists as it was a rare case. Not much was heard about Genie after the

research had been cut short. It was concluded that Genie was not born a normal kid, but if her

parents had exposed her to other people, she would be a better human being.
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Characteristics of Genie's speech

           Genie's ability to understand speech, such as spoken language, is better illustrated by

her speaking difficulty. At the same time, normal children at her age were learning the critical

neuro-muscular controls on their vocal organs to facilitate sound production. Hence explains

why Genie's earliest voluntary and imitative expressions produced were whispered or silent

vocalization (Kendra, 2021). Genie's incapacity to control the voice box that facilitates speech

leads to her monotonic speech. She struggled to speak; this was evident as her whole body

was nervous as she had a tough time controlling the airflow and air volume. Genie's odd

vocalized expressions can be understood due to Genie’s monotonic speech. Due to the speech

difficulties, her language competence cannot be evaluated based on her utterances only.

Despite the challenges, Genie's production of speech has shown considerable improvement.

Her airway was normal, and her phonological growth is close to that of normal children.

Genie's first word consisted of Consonant-Vowel (CV) neologisms. This soon developed to

more complex structure syllables, thus facilitating her speech.

Why Genie never learned to speak fluently?

           In Genie's case, when related to the mentalist theory, she never learned to speak because

when she tried, the parents beat her, thus tormenting the brain making her lose her speech. From

the relationship of Genie to the behaviorist theory, Genie, in her young age as an infant, the

parents did not offer a helping hand which would give her a chance to learn language from

imitating sounds or the speech patterns from the parents and other surroundings (Saxton, 2017).

When Genie was taken by the social workers at the age of 13 years, teaching her the art of

language acquisition was not easy, but it could be noted that she was 18years her language had
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improved year by year. When Genie was taken back to an environment where she was physically

and mentally abused, the language acquisition she had learned was lost.

The case relates to the behaviorist and mentalist theories that insist on how the first five

years of an infant's life play a role in language acquisition. If Genie had learned and formed her

infant-age speech, she would not have lost her acquired language that she had learned from the

age where she was rescued (Kendra, 2021). In Genie's situation, the critical period hypothesis

(CPH), which insists that language is well developed by the age of three years and from age five

to puberty, is applicable. It is difficult to acquire language even though there are adequate stimuli

like in Genie's case, after being taken away from her parents, it took a long time for her to learn

her first language. When interrupted with physical and emotional torture, she had to repeat the

whole process of language acquisition.

My opinion on the research carried out on Genie.

           Genie's research was at the first funded stages helpful to Genie as her speech was

developed gradually until when the authorities decided to take her back to her toxic environment.

The research carried out helped Genie acquire some of the basics in language acquisition, which

if it had been continued, Genie's speech could not have been lost if the institutions of disabled

adults did not cut her off from the people she knew. Language not to be lost as learned from

Genie's case following the mentalist and behavioral theory from an early age is critical to any

child's language acquisition. The scientists finding and giving Genie a safe environment helped

her learn how to relate with people. Initially, she was not exposed to people thus did not have

any feelings, which could be noted as one of the scientists involved in her case tested her

feelings.
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It was pointed out that it took time for her to react to being left by a person they had

constantly spent time with, and later after a consistent practice of the test of her feelings, she

responded and could struggle to let go of the same scientist testing her feelings. If the authorities

under the disabled adult institution had been advised on Genie's case on treating her like the

scientists treated her during research, her mental health would have continued growing rather

than deteriorating as seen after being subjected to emotional and physical abuse in a powerful

way. The scientific insights in Genie's case proved how hard it is to teach language to a teenager

who has never been exposed to any language acquisition. Still, with positivity, significant

milestones can be achieved, as seen in Genie's case. 

What could have been done to prevent the sad outcome in Genie's case

           If the funding to Genie's case had not been cut off, perhaps, there would be a different

success story where Genie would have lived a normal life even to tell a part of her story that

would have made the case more attractive. The adult institution would have been sensitive to

Genie's case and give her a conducive environment that would encourage her to continue with

her acquired language. Genie's mother would have been imprisoned because of child abuse that

she and her husband had exposed Genie to, causing her problems communicating and expressing

herself. The scientist who had offered a helping hand to Genie by living with her for four years

would have continued living with Genie because it seemed she had a well-suited environment

that encouraged her growth in linguistics and even physically.

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References

Kendra Cherry, (2021). The Story of Feral Child Genie Wiley. The Shocking Story of the

Famous Wild Child Raised in Isolation. Retrieved from;

https://www.verywellmind.com/genie-the-story-of-the-wild-child-2795241

Rahman, M. M., Pandian, A., Karim, A., & Shahed, F. H. (2017). Effect of age in second

language acquisition: A critical review from the perspective of critical period

hypothesis and ultimate attainment. International Journal of English Linguistics, 7(5),

220-246.

Saracho, O. N. (2017). Literacy and language: new developments in research, theory, and

practice.

Saxton, M. (2017). Child language: Acquisition and development. Sage.