Title Children's Language Acquisition: the Case of Feral Children
Title (croatian) Dječje jezično usvajanje: slučaj „djece vukova”
Author Petra Šimunović
Mentor Ivo Fabijanić (mentor)
Committee member Ivo Fabijanić (predsjednik povjerenstva)
Committee member Lidija Štrmelj (član povjerenstva)
Committee member Emilija Mustapić (član povjerenstva)
Granter University of Zadar (Department of English) Zadar
Defense date and country 2017-07-06, Croatia
Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline HUMANISTIC SCIENCES Philology Anglistics
Abstract The main focus of this paper is to provide an overview of theories and hypotheses that are related with children’s language acquisition, i.e. the process of primary language acquisition, and to connect them with feral children that have been born or brought up in isolation, without any contact with human language. Since children’s language acquisition has not been fully investigated till the present days, the main goal of this paper is to familiarize the reader with theories that explain all the ways in which children acquire language, develop their vocabulary and apply all the linguistic rules they have learned in order to achieve linguistic performance. Also, this paper focuses on feral children, enlisting all their major characteristics, some of which rely on myths and some were scientifically proved. Furthermore, this paper is concentrated on Genie, a feral girl who has been integrated into society at the age of 13 and her linguisitic development has been thouroughly investigated by scientist. In an attempt to present this issue with clarity, this paper is divided into two major sections that have then been subdivided. These major sections include the overall view and notions on children’s language acquisition, whereas the second section is mostly focused on feral children in general and Genie’s linguistic development. The introduction offers basic characteristics of this paper. In the following main body part, the reader is presented with theories and hypotheses related to children’s primary language development and examples of feral children. Lastly, this paper contains conclusion which summarises all its most relevant parts.
Abstract (croatian) Ovaj rad pruža pregled u, još nedovoljno istražen, svijet dječjeg usvajanja jezika, s naglaskom na „djecu vukove”, odnosno djecu koja su rođena i/ili odgojena u potpunoj izolaciji, bez ikakvog kontakta s ljudskim jezikom. Budući da proces usvajanja jezika još uvijek nije do kraja istražen, ovaj rad donosi pregled teorija i hipoteza koje uživaju najveći ugled i potporu u svijetu znanstvenika i akademika. Cilj ovog rada je upoznavanje čitateljske publike s najčešćim teorijama koje objašnjavaju složen proces dječjeg usvajanja jezika na svim lingvističkim razinama (fonologija, morfologija, sintaksa i semantika), a potom povezivanje tih teorija s „djecom vukovima” čije je usvajanje jezika otpočelo nakon takozvane kritične dobi za usvajanje jezika (najčešće u adolescenciji). Nadalje, poseban naglasak rada je na djevojčici po imenu Genie koja je započela usvajanje jezika u trinaestoj godini života, odrastavši u vrlo neljudskim uvjetima. Genie i njezino jezično usvajanje tijekom godina bili su predmet vrlo opsežnoga psiholingivističkog istraživanja te ona danas predstavlja slučaj na koji se najčešće osvrću novije teorije i istraživanja. S ciljem boljeg razumijevanja, ovaj rad podijeljen je u dva glavna dijela: općenito o dječjem usvajanju jezika te o „djeci vukovima”. Svaki od ova dijela ponovno je podijeljen na manje sekcije radi bolje preglednosti, a u konačnici i razumijevanja. Općenito, sadržaj rada podijeljen je na uvod, razradu i zaključak sa sažetkom.
Keywords
children
language
acquisition
development
feral
isolation
theory
hypothesis
Genie
Keywords (croatian)
djeca
jezik
usvajanje
razvoj
divlji
izolacija
teorija
hipoteza
Genie
Language english
URN:NBN urn:nbn:hr:162:368094
Study programme Title: English Language and Literature (double major) Study programme type: university Study level: undergraduate Academic / professional title: sveučilišni/a prvostupnik/prvostupnica (baccalaureus/baccalaurea) engleskoga jezika i književnosti (sveučilišni/a prvostupnik/prvostupnica (baccalaureus/baccalaurea) engleskoga jezika i književnosti)
Type of resource Text
File origin Born digital
Access conditions Access restricted to students and staff of home institution
Terms of use
Created on 2017-10-05 11:09:39