Transcript Semantics
Semantics Definition Semantic/Cognitive Theories Semantic Progression Assessment Word Classes Semantic Feature IS Categorization = CHUNKING = Cognitive Ability Semantic Knowledge = WORLD & WORD KNOWLEDGE Semantics' origin Etymology: Greek “semaino, ” to signify or mean World knowledge refers to an individual’s autobiographical and experiential understanding and memory of particular events Word knowledge contains word and symbol definitions First Word Characteristics Progression: • Preverbal • PCF (phonetically Consistent Forms • Holophrases Syllable Shape • one or two syllables • Syllable construction: CV, CVCV (reduplicated), CVCV, some VC constructions (up, eat) Most frequent words name animals foods and toys First word usually marks a specific object or event Initial lexical growth is slow Child may appear to plateau for short periods At center of child’s lexical core is a small core of high-usage words Characteristics of First 50 words Holophrases- one word utterances Nelson’s research Grammatical Classification • Nominals • General • Specific • • • • 65%, 51% 14% milk, car, dog mima, “Tiger” Action Words14% give, do, up Modifiers 9% , mine, no, dirty Personal-Social 9%, no, please, more Functional 4%, this, for Features f Adult Speech influencing A child’s Semantic development When Western, middle class children are noticed attempting to say a word, parents engage them in naming games • parent points to and names specific object for child and then helps child say them Names parents provide are typically superordinate categorical names • EXAMPLE:item: nickel- parent names it: money • names chosen follow basic level categories • similarities within categories are emphasized • most general level at which objects are similar because of form, function, or motion A Child’s Semantic Strategies Bootstrapping, Scaffolding, and Mapping EXPLAINS EXPONENTIAL INCREASES IN CHILD’S VOCABULARY 1. Bootstrapping • definition: process of learning language in which the child uses what is known to decode more mature language • semantic bootstrapping-the analysis of syntax based on semantic structures previously acquired – Example: persons and things= nouns, actions=verbs, attributives=adjectives • syntactic bootstrapping-the use of syntactic structures to deduce word meaning • Both are complementary processes 2. Scaffolding Scaffolding • definition: a supportive linguistic/communicative context supplied by a more mature language user to younger children • more mature language user MODELS and structures child’s learning experience to acquire new cognitive or linguistic skill/s • similar to Vygotsky’s Zone Of Proximal Development • based on Vygotsky’s language as social interaction 3. Mapping Fast Mapping • definition: the child’s ability to form an initial hypothesis about a word’s meaning quickly, after hearing the word once or twice. • Child uses bootstrapping strategies • Child uses scaffolding strategies • helps explain why children exposed to larger amounts of adult input develop larger, richer vocabularies than children exposed to more limited input Semantics/Cognitive Theories 1. Initial Lexicon Acquisition • 1. Prototypic • 2. Functional Core • 3. Semantic Feature 2. Lexical Use • 1. Underextension • 2. Overextension • 3. Isomorphic Prototypic Who: Bowerman What: underlying concept includes a central reference. Highly specific – ‘Best Fit’ Criterion Tenants: • 1. initial protoypes vary across children, reflecting different experiences • 2 concepts are modified as a result of experience, – Adaptation? • 3. Word’s referent is grouped with other referents having similar features • 4“Holistic inclusion” Pro/Con Functional Core Who: Nelson What: Concept formation begins with the formation of a functional-core meaning Tenants • Child begins to name objects that embody a high degree of movement or that can be manipulated • Corresponds to Piaget’s notion of ‘learning through exploration’ • Describes entities use in relation to other entities • Uses dynamic perceptual features and logical features/acts Pro/Con Semantic Feature Who: Eve Clark What: all referents can be defined by a universal set of semantic features Tenants: • definable features are the attributes of the referent: size, shape, movement, color, taste, smell, hearing, etc. • shape is the most salient of the perceptual features • color is not particularly important to young children • Pro/Con: • Con • fails to explain the holistic nature of meaning • fails to discriminate between features to determine the most relevant • can’t explain non-object concepts such as more, all gone, up • Pro • strategies more mature language learners utilize • assessment item: categories Cogntive/Semantic Issues Conceptual Schemata • Overextenions • Underextension • Isomorphic- invented words Semantic Class Distinctions Substantive and Relational Words Substantive • refer to specific entities or classes of entities that have shared perceptual or functional features • typically agents (people) objects (things) • Relational Words Substantive and Relational Words, R1 Relational Words • Definition: refers to the relations that an entity shares with itself or with other entities • makes reference across entities • Types • Reflexive Relational Words-mark existence, nonexistence, disappearance, recurrence • this, here, gone, another, more • Action Relational Words -ways in which different objects from the different concepts relate to one another through movement or actions • protoverbs; first action type words or words used on an action-like context Relational Terms #2 Location Relation Terms:describe the directional or spatial relationship of two objects • Types: • • • • existence: ex. This , that nonexistence: no, gone disappearance: gone, all gone, away recurrence: more, again, another Possession Relational Words: recognize an object is associated with a particular person • initially marks alienable possessions: food, clothing, and toys Attribution Relational Words: mark attributes, characteristics or differences Acquisition Progression Progression both Receptive and Expressive • • • • Label (lexicon) Function (what it does, do with a .....) Attributes/Definition (Semantic Feature) Categories (Schemes for ‘big people’) • Superordinate/Subordinate • Inclusion/Exclusion Order of Acquisition 1. Initial words may be PURE PERFORMATIVES-word itself performs the act 2. Followed by • • • • • nomination of substantive words existence nonexistence disappearance recurrence negation 3. Followed by the Action Function coincident with the Agent, Object functions for substantive words Semantic Assessment Possible to Assess both Formally or Descriptively 1. Formal • Receptive • Format: objects or pictures (color or line drawings) • Point to by label or function • Expressive • • • • Name Function: Tell me you do with a car? Describe: Tell me all you can about a bird Categorize: “Tell me as many _______as you can Semantic Assessment continued Descriptive Assessment • Language Sample • Type/Token Ratio= % of occurrence for a class • Nouns • Verbs 51% 40% • Class Analysis • Analysis of Adjectives by type: quantity/quality Word Class Analysis Word Classes • Nouns • proper/common • single, plurals, mass • Verbs • transitive/transitive • Adjectives • quality/quantity • Adverbs • Conjunctions • intent: causal, conditional, disjunctive, temporal • Pronouns 6 Types of Pronouns • Personal • Subjective: I, we, they, it, that • Objective: me, us, them, it, that • Negative • no one, no body, • Deictic • this, that, these, those, it • Reflexive • himself, herself, themselves • Possessives • mine, yours, ours • Relative Pronouns Pronoun ‘linguistic’ facts 1. General Sequence Acquisition • Subjective -Objective-Possessive-Reflexive-NegativeRelative • In general, for personal pronoun acquisition: subjective before objective 2. Learning Strategies from Haas and Owens • when in doubt, use a noun • look for regularity-explains child’s rules – her/hers--him/hims • simplify complex pronominal forms • reflexives: yourself-(becomes) you • use previously learned pronominal forms to aid in production of unlearned forms 3. By age 5, most children have mastered all pronouns except reflexives Adjectives Organized by • Quantity • more,some • Ordinal Numbers 1,2,3, • Cardinal Numbers First, Second, • Quality • • • • • • Color Size Shape Texture Taste Length Teaching Adjectives Teach the Positive term first • more-less • big-little • tall-short Child does not need to know the opposite to learn the ‘positive’ term Adjective (modifier) use begins at telegraphic level There is an arbitrary word order for strings of adjectives • different classes of adjectives have different position based on a complex rule system • words are: the………monster wasn’t chasing me! scary, big, muddy Questions 1. How do you define semantics? 2. What are the 3 theories attempting to explain initial semantic development? Which one appeals to you? 3. What is the difference between substantive and relational words? 4. What are the different types of pronouns? Which is the ‘hardest to teach? 5. How are adjectives divided? Is this division beneficial for writing IEP’s 6. What are the types of conjunctions? 7. What are the measurements used in a Descriptive Semantic Assessment? 8. What is the semantic acquisition progression? Why is this critical knowledge in language therapy? 9. What is an example of superordinate and subordinate categories? 10 What is an example of inclusion/exclusion? End of Notes