Language Learning Principle(5)
언어 학습 원리
In this experiment, the abilities of infants demonstrate their capacity to focus on distinctions that are likely to be useful (e.g., Kuhl et al., 2006; Werker & Tees, 1984). Monolingual infants may show a lack of attention to individual speakers, which may reflect an adaptive strategy for efficiently processing information in complex language environments. Infants encounter various cues that significantly vary in reliability amidst a mixture of sounds and social signals.
The ability of infants to segregate different speech streams indicates that they can recognize phonological differences—specifically, the distinctions between the smallest sound units, known as phonemes, that are crucial for meaning. Phonemes play a role in changing the meaning of specific words or sounds; for example, in the words "bat" and "pat," the 'b' and 'p' are different phonemes. This ability to recognize phonemes helps infants detect and utilize reliable sounds, which may also aid them in distinguishing between different languages.
Thus, this research shows that infants selectively exploit useful cues in noisy environments to find reliable linguistic structures. This capability serves as an important foundation for their language development and plays a crucial role in the process of learning language.
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References
Potter, C. E., & Lew-Williams, C. (2019). Infants' selective use of reliable cues in multidimensional language input. Developmental Psychology, 55, 1-8.
