I think this class has definitely expanded my knowledge of linguistics and the different aspects of linguistics. One area in particular that I found extremely important was first language acquisition and the critical period. These lessons make it very clear that language acquisition occurs in the first 8 to 9 years of a child. I have said this numerous times in my previous post, but ages 0-9 extremely are critical ages for children because they are operating in theta brain waves, which create ideal conditions for children to learn quickly. This can also support a nativist view on how people acquire language. If the brain is naturally optimized to learn, then a dynamic environment is enough for a child to learn a language. The culmination of ideas here, helps us understand how vital a child’s environment and education are. The famous case of Genie becomes a perfect example, Genie was enclosed from the world for a significant portion of her early childhood. Despite, being an intelligent girl, she was not able to acquire language, precisely, because she did not have access to a dynamic environment as a consequence she did not have the opportunity to exercise her mind during a critical period for her growth.
Another aspect of linguistics I found myself contemplating was the origin of language. I think it is a worthy endeavor to understand where language comes from. Of course, language relates to our cognitive abilities, but there is a deeper mystery to language and linguistics. There are many intelligent animals in the kingdom, but not all have developed language, and so, I must ask what other elements develop language. Dolphins are one of the many intelligent creatures in the world, yet they can communicate as efficiently as human beings, the same holds true for birds.
