Description and contextualization of the subject

This course aims to bring students closer to the study of early language acquisition through their familiarization with current research oriented to the study of the language development of monolingual and bilingual children (0-8 years) in their first language(s).

Learning outcomes of the subject

During the course students will

• become aware of theoretical and empirical questions concerning the initial and later linguistic competence of children, as well as those related to the changes observed in children’s performance during their first years of life.

• learn to synthesize and expose, significant findings of child language research conducted on vocabulary, phonology and morphosyntax, orally and in written texts.

• learn about the variability of bi- or multilingual acquisition processes and the factors affecting them (AoA, language profile, typological distance…).

Ordinary call: orientations and renunciation

The final mark will be the sum of three partial marks: active participation in class (20%), oral presentation (30%) and essay (50%).



Class sessions in this course of 3 ECTS credits will be organized as follows:



• Lectures on concepts and contents concerning the topics listed in the program will comprise most of the class time together, as well as some practical exercises. Written materials and/or references will be provided throughout the course.



• Attendance to class is obligatory and students will be penalized if absence is not properly justified. Regular assistance and active participation of the student will be crucial (20% of the final mark). Moreover, students are expected to participate in class and to meet the deadlines of the exercises set, among them (at least) one oral presentation (30% of the final mark) and one written one (50% of the mark).



• The oral task will consist of the presentation of the main content of a research paper, previously agreed with the teacher. In the 15-20 minutes presentation students will demonstrate:

The aim of the paper, some of the most relevant contents, including some examples, tables and/or figures, but only if necessary for comprehension, the dscussion and/or conclusion.

o Each student should provide his/her classmates with a 2- to 3-page hand-out of the presentation.

o Students will be requested to auto- and hetero-evaluate oral presentations.



• The written task will consist of a short essay of 6-10 pages, based on the discussion of some theoretical and/or methodological aspects of one of the papers presented in class compared with at least ONE additional piece of research published.

Extraordinary call: orientations and renunciation

Students will have to hand in a written paper (10-15 pages long) (100% of the final mark), similar to the assignments in the first call.

Temary

CONTENTS



1. The study of child language • Description, goals, basic terms • Methods used in the study of early child language. Some language-development models •



2. Early bi-/multilingualism



3. Phonetic and Phonological Development



4. Comprehension and production of Vocabulary



5. MORPHOSYNTACTIC DEVELOPMENT • Assessment: MLU • Over-regularisation and its interpretation • Lexical and functional categories •

Bibliography

Basic bibliography

Ambridge, B. & E. Lieven (2011), Child Language Acquisition. Contrasting Theoretical Approaches. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.



De Houwer, A. (2009), Bilingual First Language Acquisition. Bristol-Buffalo-Toronto: Multilingual Matters.



Idiazabal & J. Dolz (eds.) (2013) Enseñar (lenguas) en contextos plurilingües. Bilbao: Servicio editorial de la Universidad del País Vasco/ Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea.



Guasti, M.T. (2002), Language Acquisition. The Growth of Grammar. Cambridge MA-London: The MIT Press.



Grosjean, F. & P. Li (2013), The Psycholinguistics of Bilingualism. West Susssex, UK: Wiley & Blackwell.



Meisel, J. (2011), First and Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.



Montrul, S. (2013), El bilingüismo en el mundo hispanohablante. Malden, MA: Whiley-Blackwell.



Müller Gathercole, V.C. (ed.) (2013) Solutions of the Assessment of Bilinguals. Bristol-Buffalo-Toronto: Multilingual Matters.

Journals

Applied Psycholinguistics



Bilingualism: Language and Cognition



Brain and Language



Cognition



First Language



Infancia y Aprendizaje



International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism



Applied Psycholinguistics, Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Brain and Language, Cognition, First Language, Infancia y Aprendizaje, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, International Journal of Bilingualism, Journal of Child Language, Language Acquisition, The Language Learning Journal, Lingua, Linguistische Berichte, Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, Probus, Second Language Acquisition.