SLA assignment (Hardiansyah Putra 0853042016)

AN INTRODUCTION TO SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

“BABYTALK”

BY
HARDIANSYAH PUTRA (0853042016)




TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY
LAMPUNG UNIVERSITY
2011




Background of Problem

Language acquisition is the process of learning a native or a second language. The acquisition of native languages is studied primarily by developmental psychologists
and psycholinguists. Although how children learn to speak is not perfectly understood, most explanations involve both the observation that children copy what they hear and the inference that human beings have a natural aptitude for understanding grammar. While children usually learn the sounds and vocabulary of their native language through imitation, grammar is seldom taught to them explicitly; that they nonetheless rapidly acquire the ability to speak grammatically supports the theory advanced by Noam Chomsky and other proponents of transformational grammar.
Baby talk is more effective than regular speech in getting an infant's attention. Studies have shown that infants actually prefer to listen to this type of speech. Some researchers, including Rima Shore (1997), believe that baby talk is an important part of the emotional bonding process between the parents and their child that help the infants learn the language. More than one language can also be learned because eventually, the child will be clever enough to differentiate the languages. It is easier to learn languages as an infant than as an adult. Other researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Wisconsin confirm that using basic “baby talk” helps babies pick up words faster than usual. Infants actually pay more attention when parents use infant-directed language, which has a slower and more repetitive tone than used in regular conversation.This research is proposed in order to identify how adults communicate with baby using baby talk.




The script of The Conversation between Mother and His Son (Minang)
Mother ( M )
Son ( S )

( S ) : ma, awak mau naiak oto
( M ) : naiak oto taruih waang ko..
( S ) : ama.. naiak oto..
( M ) : oto sia?
( S ) : oto apak lah...
( M ) : mau kemano waang yuang?
( S ) : mm, awak mau pai laun-laun...
( S ) : laun-laun apo yuang?
( M ) : ou,, raun-raun?
( S ) : he’eh..
( M ) : Raun-raun kemano?
( S ) : laun-laun lah ke istano.
( M ) : eh, jan lai..
( S ) : ama… hiks..hiks…
( M ) : onde… anak ama buruak ban yo bilo menangi…
( S ) : hiikkss…hiksss…
( M ) : iyo nak.. pai lah! Tapi jan lamo-lamo yo?
( S ) : he’euuhh…
( M ) : ditemani jo uda hengki yo..
( S ) : iya ma… holleee!
( M ) : dasar faja ko.! Sanang bana…
( S ) : makasih yo ama..


BABY TALK

As noted above, That the conversation child (3 years old) with his mother (34 years old). This conversation shows that the children in that age have not use complete sentences. He still use very simple sentence, even he have not able to use perfect word. Like in the sentence Laun-laun or Raun-raun (jalan-jalan) and his mother didn’t understand what he talking about. and his sister needs his repetition to catch and understand. Even when the child repeats again he still uses uncompleted word. When the child answers the question that gives them he only answers that in one or two word only. He has not able to answer in complicated sentence. In this age children have not active to ask some questions to someone. He only asks simple questions and answer question in simple.


Other transformations mimic the way infants mistake certain consonants which in English can include turning /l/ into /w/ as in wuv from love or widdo from little or in pronouncing /v/ as /b/ and /ð/ or /t/ as /d/.

Still other transformations, but not in all language, include elongated vowels, such as kitty and kiiiitty, meaning the same thing, While this is understood by English speaking toddlers, it is not applicable with Dutch toddlers as they learn that elongated vowels reference different words.

Baby talk, teacher talk and foreigner talk

Krashen (1980) input hypothesis has inspired a large amount of research that attempt to find out the relationship between input and interaction in second/foreign language learning. Studies that attempt to prove the influence of comprehensible input in first language acquisition have resulted in term such as baby talk, motherese, care-giver speech and care-talker speech.

Flirtatious baby talk

Baby talk may be used as a form of flirtation between sex partners. In this instance, the baby talk may be an expression of tender intimacy, and may form part of affectionate role play in which one partner speaks and behaves childishly, while the other acts motherly of fatherly, responding in parents. One or both partners might perform the child role.

Baby talk with pets

Many people use falsetto, glissando, and repetitive speech similar to baby talk when addressing their pets. Such as is not commonly used by professionals who train working animals, but is very common among owners of companion pets, This style of speech is different from baby talk, despite in tonal similarities, especially if the speaker used rapid rhythms and forced breathiness which may mimic the animal’s utterances. Pets often learn to respond well to the emotional states and specific commands of their owners who use baby talk, especially if the owner’s intonations are very distinct from ambient noise, For example, a dog may recognize baby talk as his owner’s invitation to play( as is a dog’s natural “play bow”); a cat may learn to come when addressed with the high pitched utterance, “Heeeeeeeerree kitty-kitty-kitty-kitty-kitty-kitty”!.