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  • Language Learning: A Special Case for Developmental Psychology?

    Language Learning by Howe, Christine J.;

    A Special Case for Developmental Psychology?

    Series: Essays in Developmental Psychology;

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      • Publisher's listprice GBP 32.50
      • The price is estimated because at the time of ordering we do not know what conversion rates will apply to HUF / product currency when the book arrives. In case HUF is weaker, the price increases slightly, in case HUF is stronger, the price goes lower slightly.

        15 526 Ft (14 787 Ft + 5% VAT)
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    15 526 Ft

    Availability

    Out of print

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    Delivery time is estimated on our previous experiences. We give estimations only, because we order from outside Hungary, and the delivery time mainly depends on how quickly the publisher supplies the book. Faster or slower deliveries both happen, but we do our best to supply as quickly as possible.

    Product details:

    • Edition number 1
    • Publisher Psychology Press
    • Date of Publication 24 May 1993

    • ISBN 9780863772306
    • Binding Hardback
    • No. of pages232 pages
    • Weight 454 g
    • Language English
    • 0

    Categories

    Short description:

    An in-depth study of the credibility of the notion that children cannot learn their native language without innate knowledge of its grammatical structure. It aspires to a serious challenge to the innateness hypothesis.

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    Long description:

    The starting place for this book is the notion, current in the literature for around 30 years, that children could not learn their native language without substantial innate knowledge of its grammatical structure. It is argued that the notion is as problematic for contemporary theories of development as it was for theories of the past. Accepting this, the book attempts an in-depth study of the notions credibility.
    Central to the book's argument is the conclusion that the innateness hypothesis runs into two major problems. Firstly, its proponents are too ready to treat children as embryonic linguists, concerned with the representation of sentences as an end in itself. A more realistic approach would be to regard children as communication engineers, storing sentences to optimize the production and retrieval of meaning. Secondly, even when the communication analogy is adopted, it is glibly assumed that the meanings children impute will be the ones adults intend.
    One of the book's major contentions is that a careful reading of contemporary research suggests that the meanings may differ considerably. Identifying such problems, the book considers how development should proceed, given learning along communication lines and a more plausible analysis of meaning. It makes detailed predictions about what would be anticipated given no innate knowledge of grammar.
    Focusing on English but giving full acknowledgement to cross-linguistic research, it concludes that the predictions are consistent with both the known timescale of learning and the established facts about children's knowledge. Thus the book aspires to a serious challenge to the innateness hypothesis via, as its final chapter will argue, a model which is much more reassuring to psychological theory.

    The starting place for this book is the notion, current in the literature for around 30 years, that children could not learn their native language without substantial innate knowledge of its grammatical structure. It is argued that the notion is as problematic for contemporary theories of development as it was for theories of the past. Accepting this, the book attempts an in-depth study of the notions credibility.
    Central to the book's argument is the conclusion that the innateness hypothesis runs into two major problems. Firstly, its proponents are too ready to treat children as embryonic linguists, concerned with the representation of sentences as an end in itself. A more realistic approach would be to regard children as communication engineers, storing sentences to optimize the production and retrieval of meaning. Secondly, even when the communication analogy is adopted, it is glibly assumed that the meanings children impute will be the ones adults intend.
    One of the book's major contentions is that a careful reading of contemporary research suggests that the meanings may differ considerably. Identifying such problems, the book considers how development should proceed, given learning along communication lines and a more plausible analysis of meaning. It makes detailed predictions about what would be anticipated given no innate knowledge of grammar.
    Focusing on English but giving full acknowledgement to cross-linguistic research, it concludes that the predictions are consistent with both the known timescale of learning and the established facts about children's knowledge. Thus the book aspires to a serious challenge to the innateness hypothesis via, as its final chapter will argue, a model which is much more reassuring to psychological theory.

    More