Language and the Learning Curve

• Unique in combining mainstream generative or Chomskian linguistics with learning theory, providing an original interdisciplinary approach to understanding syntactic development
• Provides an unusually detailed theoretical background from linguistics, cognitive psychology, and complexity theory, thus familiarizing the reader with the key theories
• In every topic covered, explicit reference made to relevant work within computational linguistics, therefore providing those in developmental psychology with an exceptionally rich account of the field of language development

Readership: Developmental psychologists, linguists, speech pathologists and computer scientists interested in computational linguistics and machine learning.

Anat Ninio, Joseph and Belle Braun Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

"This is an important book for current language development researchers and graduate students, as well as those more closely involved in the controversies of theoretical linguistics. While clearly written, the book deals with highly complex issues and demands careful study. The empirical solidity of this work in conjunction with its strong theoretical claims poses a challenge to all." - Lorraine McCune, Journal of Child Language

"...a very interesting and well-researched proposal for the acquisition of syntax. It is refreshing in its attempt to forge a framework for understanding language that goes beyond the traditional camps of 'innateness' versus 'statistical learning'. It is worth reading for anyone interested in formal modelling of language learning." - Int'l Journal of Language & Communication Disorders

"Ninio draws together a substantial body of knowledge in an admirable attempt to combine current theories in language acquisition, While intergrating linguistic as well as psychological theories into her own framework ofsyntactic development, she rigorously disposes of cherished notions in both traditions. Her ideas are thought-provoking and critical. Thus, her theory invites students in the field of language acquisition to critically assess its central tenets with relation to usage-based accounts of language as well as generative linguistics... this is a fascinating volume that provides an intricate and stimulating read, recommended to everyone interested in integrative accounts of child language development." - Child Language Bulletin Vol 27, No. 1

"Language and the Learning Curve is a breakthrough achievement, elegantly and logically presented, solidly based on evidence from child language research and expertise in current theoretical linguistics." - Katherine Nelson, Department of Psychology, Graduate Center, City University of New York

"This book is very interesting for researchers of language acquisition and for specialists who work on how to make computers understand language and how to link language with broader knowledge networks." - Liu Haitao, Applied and Computational Linguistics, Communication University of China, Beijing

"Anat Ninio has forged a unique role for herself in the field of language acquisition as a creative and innovative researcher... Ninio continuously thinks across theoretical and disciplinary divides in highly constructive ways. Her book presents challenges to received wisdoms in all parts of the field and really makes one think!" - Elena Lieven, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany, and the University of Manchester, UK.

"I used the book in one of my MSc courses where it was very popular. The students... were excited about the approach and welcomed it as interesting and refreshingly healthy in wedding well the theory and data and yielding specific predictions. This is one of the reasons I intend to keep using the book in the future!" - Barbora Skarabela, Lecturer, Linguistics and English Language, University of Edinburgh

1: Valency
1.1: Linguistic approaches to valency and syntactic structure
1.2: Implication for acquisition: syntax is simple
1.3: Developmental evidence: the earliest word combinations are syntactic mergers
1.4: Conclusions: children learn to merge two words according to their valency
2: The learning curve
2.1: The learning curve in cognitive psychology
2.2: Implication for acquisition: syntax should transfer right away
2.3: Developmental evidence: learning curves and generalizations in early syntax
2.4: Conclusions: lexical-specific syntactic frames facilitate others
3: Lexicalism
3.1: The linguistic basis to lexicalism
3.2: Implication for acquisition: no abstract schema formation
3.3: Developmental evidence: no change in the form of syntactic schemas
3.4: Conclusions: children learn a lexicalist syntax
4: Similarity
4.1: Similarity for transfer and generalization
4.2: Implication for acquisition: no role for semantic linking in learning syntax
4.3: Developmental evidence: no semantic effects in generalization and transfer
4.4: Conclusions: children utilize similarity of form to organize the process of acquisition
5: The growth of syntax
5.1: The language web
5.2: Implication for acquisition: learning means linking to the network
5.3: Developmental evidence: children recreate the global features of the maternal network
5.4: Conclusions: children join the language network

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