1.) How does it fit with what I already know? Chapters 10 and 13 focused on language production and cognitive development respectively. Chapter 10 readings referred to speech production and some of the errors made or slips of the tongue. It also discusses discourse and the social context of speech like pragmatics, or the underlying rules of language. The last part of chapter 10 covered the cognitive model of writing. In this section, we read about many familiar terms such as working memory, the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketch pad, and the central executive and the roles they play in writing. Chapter 13 focuses on cognitive development and language in children. It gave insight on language development in infancy through childhood.
2.) What am I not clear on? I think I am fairly clear on the readings. I would like to know more about young children learning second languages. Can learning a second language in childhood help strengthen cognitive connections and therefore provide additional academic benefits? Does it physically change the structure of the brain when you learn another language?
3.) How will I apply this information? I thought the information in chapter 10 was most valuable to me personally. I found the section on writing to be very helpful. The info on lexical entrainment was interesting too. I have witnessed some twins I know and they sometimes seem to share a secret language. I read an article just this weekend too that talked about how language can impact your relationship with your partner...similar kind of thing...couples who have this shared language have stronger relationships.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The book talks about several of the benefits of learning a 2nd language. The child is more familiar with their native language, they do much better on tests that involve language structure, etc. I would think that these kids would have a better picture of grammar after seeing 2 different languages. The book also says that bilingual children are better at complicated tasks and instructions and are also more creative than monolingual students. There are some disadvantages like a bit slower in production because they have 2 languages to think about but I would think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. There are several preschools that teach kids 2nd languages. They are extremely expensive but these kids will probably benefit in the classroom in the future.
ReplyDelete