Psycolinguistics

CHAPTER II

LATER SPEECH STAGES

Rule Formation for Negatives, Questions, Relative Clauses, Passives, and Other Complex Structures

With the production of longer utterances, simple structures are elaborated to yield more complex ones. Negative sentences, question forms. passives, and relative clauses are just a few of the many complex rules which children acquire in their first five years. (Rules arc used here in a general sense and may be interpreted as principles, parameters, limits, etc. Chomskyan theory is by no means necessarily implied by the use of these terms.) Although many other rules are also being acquired. we will select for consideration the complex rules used in forming negations, questions, relative clauses, and passives. Since this is the general order of acquisition of structures, we will use this order in presenting these constructions. It should be borne in mind., however, that the learning of some of these constructions sometimes overlaps, such as in the case of negation and question, which share a number of grammatical features. .

CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

A.  THE USE  OF SIGN LANGUANGE AND GESTURE

1.    The Criteria for Sign Languange as a True Languange

a.    A Formal Criterion for a True Languange

You may wonder and justifably, whether those signs truly are part of a languange or are just a collection of gestures that lack the sophistication of a languange based o speech. A sign languange is a true languange because the languange system allow a signerto comprehend and produce an unrestricted number of grammatical sign sentences. This feat can be accomplished with a limited number of signs (vocabulary) and a system (syntax and semantics).

b.      An Informal Criterion for a True Languange

An informal criterion for a true languange one that is simple and readly understandable. This criterion must allow for a difference in the physical means of communication: signing rather than speech; but this is not an essential aspect of languange. Languange must depend on some physical mode for its acquisition and use but that mode need not be limited sound. The mode can be visual, as in signing, or even touch as in languanges used by the deaf-blind.