🔊 Sounds
Babies copy the sounds of the language they hear. A baby who hears lots of English plays with English sounds. A baby who hears Arabic plays with Arabic sounds.
Learning Theory of Language Development » Learning Language by Observation and Imitation
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Cambridge spec: 6.3.1
- The learning theory of language development: language comes from the environment
- How children learn sounds, words, accents and phrases by observation and imitation
- Who children copy: parents, carers, siblings and media
- How this differs from Chomsky's nature view
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Unlock This CourseLanguage from the environment
So far you have met Chomsky's biological explanation. It says children are born ready for language. The learning theory of language development gives a different answer. It says children learn language from the world around them. This is the nurture side of the debate.
The syllabus lists three ideas in this theory. This lesson covers the first: observation and imitation. The next lesson covers the other two, which are positive and negative reinforcement.
Key terms:
- Learning theory of language development: the idea that children learn language from their environment, by watching and copying other people.
- Observation: watching and listening to how other people speak.
- Imitation: copying the speech that has been observed.
Observation and imitation
A baby hears speech all day long. Over time, the child listens carefully (observation) and then tries to say the same sounds and words (imitation). A child who says "Wuv you, Mummy" is copying what they have heard, and getting closer to it each time.
This links to Bandura's social learning theory, which you have already studied: we learn by watching models and copying them. The learning theory of language uses the same idea, but applies it to speech. You do not need to go through the four processes again here.
What do children copy?
💬 Words
A toddler hears "dog" every time the family pet walks in. Soon the toddler points and says "dog". The word was copied from the people around them.
🎤 Accent
Children copy the way people around them pronounce words. A child who grows up in Liverpool will usually sound like people from Liverpool.
📝 Phrases
A child may copy a whole phrase, such as "Here we go!" or "Oh dear!", and use it at the right moment.
Who do children copy?
Children copy the people who speak to them most often, and the people they spend time with.
- Parents and carers: they talk to the child every day, so they are usually the main models.
- Siblings: an older brother or sister may teach a younger child new words, and even slang.
- Media: television, videos and games. A child may copy a catchphrase from a cartoon character.
Worked example
Ravi is 3. His older sister always says "Brilliant!" when she is pleased. Last week Ravi started saying "Brilliant!" when he finished a jigsaw. Observation: Ravi heard his sister say it many times. Imitation: Ravi copied the word and used it himself. Model: his sibling. What was copied: a word.
The nurture view versus Chomsky's nature view
Here is the key difference in one line. Chomsky says language comes mainly from biology (nature), through the language acquisition device. The learning theory says language comes mainly from the environment (nurture), through observing and imitating others.
Common mistakes
- Saying children are born knowing their language. That is closer to Chomsky, not the learning theory.
- Forgetting to say that the child copies other people. Always name who is being observed.
- Mixing up observation and imitation. Observation is watching and listening. Imitation is copying.
- Writing about rewards and praise. That is the next lesson, so keep this answer on observation and imitation.
Exam-style question
Hana is 2. Her mother often says "Let's go to the park!" When Hana's mother picks up her coat, Hana says "Go park!"
(a) Name the theory of language development that Hana's behaviour supports. [1 mark]
(b) Explain how this theory would explain Hana saying "Go park!" [3 marks]
(c) Describe one difference between this theory and Chomsky's view. [2 marks]
Model answer
(a) The learning theory of language development. (1)
(b) Hana has observed her mother saying the phrase many times (1). She has then imitated the words she heard (1). This shows she has learned language from her environment, from a parent acting as a model (1).
(c) The learning theory says language is learned from the environment, by observing and imitating others (1). Chomsky says language comes mainly from biology, because children are born with a language acquisition device (1).
Exam tip
In a 3-mark "explain" question, use the scenario. Name what was observed (the mother's phrase), what was imitated (Hana's words) and who the model was.