It needs to be said that I have noticed from my personal experience that I have learned the language as a result of interaction with the environment, and I had my own understanding of particular words. I often analyzed the world around me, and communication with others was also essential. This is quite similar to the rapid construction of a grammar theory that is described by Ottenheimer, and he suggests that children at an early age understand the importance of language and use it as one of the ways to explore surroundings (258). Interactions with others were paramount because they shared the information, and it has helped me to develop my grammar when I was young. Also, Ottenheimer describes cognitive theories as a set of hypotheses that suggest that acquisition of language is related to intellectual development (257).
This perspective is also interesting because it is evident that children may remember some words, but they do not use them until they understand their meaning most of the time. It is also interesting that there are numerous instances when children learn several languages at once, and it is a tough task for adults. The critical period in development is essential because it allows children to remember enormous amounts of information at once (Kuhl et al. 256). It is also interesting that there are some differences between the language learning abilities of genders. One of the studies has shown that boys and girls utilize different regions of the brain when performing tasks that are related o language. (Burman, Bitan, and Booth 1349). This aspect should be considered during future studies because it may help to get a better understanding of language acquisition process.
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Discussion 11
According to Ottenheimer, sign language is a method of communication that was developed for needs of Deaf community (115). The sign language that is most commonly used in the United States is American Sign Language (ASL). It can be said that it is somewhat related to English because some concepts are the same, but the structure of sentences and grammar are significantly different. Order of words is also not the same most of the time, and just one sign includes several meanings at once (Ottenheimer, 118). Facial gestures are also paramount because they are used to express the meaning of a particular symbol. It is important to note that I have encountered many individuals that used ASL, but I had issues with recognizing gestures most of the time because it is dramatically different from spoken English. It can also be noticed in some of the movies, and subtitles help to identify the meaning of some signs (Okrent par. 5). Also, I think that it needs to be promoted much more because one of the studies has shown that individuals that experience sign languages at an early age have a better learning experience (Morford et al. 41). I think that this method of communication is efficient and has enormous potential. It can be implemented in numerous software programs that recognize gestures. In my opinion, it is also interesting that there are dissimilarities between the usages of this method of communication in different regions of the world. Also, studies that are being conducted in this field are essential because sign language may need some improvement, and new technologies can address some of the issues that are currently present.
Works Cited
Morford, Jill P. et al. “Effects of language experience on the perception of American Sign Language.” Cognition 109.1 (2008): 41-53.
Okrent, Arika. “This is What American Sign Language Looked Like 100 Years Ago.” The Week. The Week, 25 Apr. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
Ottenheimer, Harriet. The Anthropology of Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. 3rd ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
Burman, Douglas D., Tali Bitan, and James R. Booth. “Sex differences in neural processing of language among children.” Neuropsychologia 46.5 (2008): 1349-1362.
Kuhl, Patricia K. et al. “Early Speech Perception and Later Language Development: Implications for the “Critical Period””. Language Learning and Development 1.3-4 (2005): 237-264.
Ottenheimer, Harriet. The Anthropology of Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. 3rd ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.