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Subject:Re[2]: We don't "learn language! From:David Blyth <dblyth -at- QUALCOMM -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 7 Dec 1995 11:08:59 -0700
Arlen P. Walker says:
>You are right: we don't teach our children how to speak.
Damn! So _that_'s why I almost got a "D" in Calculus. I was
sleeping in the wrong classroom! ;)
Actually, I just read an article about this a week ago. If
I recall correctly, children can manage telegraphic speech
(burbles and sounds) on their own without assistance. But
they need to listen to adult speech in order to learn a language.
Thus, the researchers concluded (big surprise here) that the more
you talk to a baby and help them to learn, the faster an infant
can talk.
The whole topic gets into what's hardwired into a brain (for
example, double negatives - see also "Creole") and what's learned.
If there's sufficient interest, I'll try to dig up the article
I read. I think it came out of my local (San Diego) newspaper,
so I can phygh out of the library, if nothing else.
David (The Man) Blyth
Technical Writer
Qualcomm
The usual disclaimers apply - I don't speak for QUALCOMM, they don't speak
for me....
