Lesbian,Gay,Bisexual,Transgender,Queer 115 - Brains and Tongues:How Do We Acquire Language

Institution:

Colgate University

Subject:

Description:

Y. Hirata This course explores how infants and adults acquire native and foreign languages. What goes on in the brains of new-born infants before they discover the meanings of words What might be the linguistic and social consequence of acquiring an English dialectal accent, distinguishing or not distinguishing between Mary, merry, and marry Why do some adults succeed in learning a second language, while others do not Why are some Japanese unable to tell the difference between rice and lice When a girl was isolated in a room where she had no contact with a language speaking community until she was 13 years old, was she able to acquire her first language at any age When bonobo chimpanzees are taught human language, how much can they learn, and why are they unable to speak Students read books and articles that address these issues, watch films and have some direct experience of learning a difficult second language. Physiological, linguistic, psychological, and social factors that determine whether one succeeds or fails to acquire native and foreign languages are discussed.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.colgate.edu

Phone Number:

(315) 228-1000

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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