Mystery of language learning
언어 학습의 신비로움
You Learned a Lot, without Even Knowing it!
Young children may seem to be capable of very little.
However, scientists have shown that young children have remarkable abilities for learning.
In the very early stages of our lives, we unconsciously acquire a lot of information, with language being a prime example. As newborns, we know almost nothing about sounds or words, but as we grow, we will learn around 50,000 to as many as 100,000 words.
In fact, we can even come up with the appropriate word to fill in the blanks of a sentence.
It's time to wake up. Get ready and eat ( ).
Is this type of learning done by imitating parents?
In this type of learning, do babies make sounds until the correct words come out?
Do babies learn which sounds or phonemes go together and look for patterns?
Do babies connect different words to different objects and use these connections to find the meanings of words?
Do babies guess which word comes next and learn through making mistakes in that process?
Do babies want to learn language because they enjoy playing with their mom, dad, and siblings?
Each scientist presents their own opinions on how learning occurs.
The possibilities are endless, but it is generally accepted that the first year after birth is a critically important period for learning ability, as learning continues to build upon itself.
Language learning is a field that still has much to uncover, potentially over the next 10 to 100 years. Furthermore, how scientific research will be applied to the study of babies and language presents a significant challenge.
References
Lew-Williams, C., & Weisleder, A. (2017). How do little kids learn language? Frontiers for Young Minds, 5, 1-8. https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2017.00045
