Functional approaches view language as a tool for communication that must be adapted to different situations. They focus on the deeper functional levels of meaning constructed through social interaction, cognitive development, and how children learn language structures based on their conceptual understanding of the world rather than superficial rules. Functionalists assert that language acquisition depends on choosing language to meet the needs of a situation, facilitated by social interaction between children and competent language users.
Functional approaches view language as a tool for communication that must be adapted to different situations. They focus on the deeper functional levels of meaning constructed through social interaction, cognitive development, and how children learn language structures based on their conceptual understanding of the world rather than superficial rules. Functionalists assert that language acquisition depends on choosing language to meet the needs of a situation, facilitated by social interaction between children and competent language users.
Functional approaches view language as a tool for communication that must be adapted to different situations. They focus on the deeper functional levels of meaning constructed through social interaction, cognitive development, and how children learn language structures based on their conceptual understanding of the world rather than superficial rules. Functionalists assert that language acquisition depends on choosing language to meet the needs of a situation, facilitated by social interaction between children and competent language users.
Functional approaches view language as a tool for communication that must be adapted to different situations. They focus on the deeper functional levels of meaning constructed through social interaction, cognitive development, and how children learn language structures based on their conceptual understanding of the world rather than superficial rules. Functionalists assert that language acquisition depends on choosing language to meet the needs of a situation, facilitated by social interaction between children and competent language users.
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FUNCTIONAL APPROACHES
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION Functionalism, in linguistics, the approach to language stud y that is concerned with the functions performed by language. A functional approach asserts that we need to learn how to choose our language to meet the particular needs of a situation. In most accounts, the primary purpose of language is to facilitate communication, in the sense of transmission of information from one person to another. Nativist vs Functional approaches NATIVIST
Propose generative rules: abstract,
formal, explicit and quite logical. Deal with the forms of language. (morphemes, words, rules, etc.) Pivot word. Functional approach Cognition and language development: Bloom and Slobin. 1970’s-1980’s Deal with the deeper functional levels of meaning constructed from social interaction. (suggestion, criticism, disagreement, etc.) Context: children learn structures, not a superficial word order. Cognitive development (how children think, explore and figure things out) Interaction with their environment, developing cognitive capacities and their linguistic experienc Gleitman and Wanner: Chidlren appear to approach language learning equipped with conceptual interpretative abilities for categorizing the world.
Semantic learning depends on
cognitive development, information- processing capacities. Social Interaction and Language Development: Holzman. 1980’s.
“A reciprocal behavioural system operates
between the language-developing infant- child and the competent language user in a socializing-teaching-nurturing role.” Useful information:
Discourse: the conversations and the
meaning behind them by a group of people who hold certain ideas in common. Linguistic conventions.
