160153 PS Proseminar zum Spracherwerb (2024S)

Humans are born to learn language without any formal teaching or training and, once learned, we use language in every possible situation automatically. But how do we do this? What is the basis of this uniquely human ability?

This course will examine these core questions within the context of language acquisition, which is an integral part of the theory of human language ability. You will learn about the characteristics of the language acquisition process and how different theories propose to account for them. After a few more general sessions on the neurobiological basis of language, we will concentrate on language acquisition in the first years of life. You will see that children's knowledge of language is surprisingly advanced even before they utter their first word. We will also discuss the brain's critical period for language acquisition, including the neurophysiology of second language learning, critical vs. sensitive periods of learning, and the universality of the neural language network.