Tomasello, M

Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition

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ISBN 13:: 9780674017641
author:: Tomasello, M
format:: Paperback
publisher:: Harvard University Press
language:: English
Publication Year:: 2005
Pages:: 408
Dimensions:: 144 mm X 224 mm
Genre:: Psychology
Condition:: New
Availability:: Item usually sent within 10 working days

£26.58

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Description

Description

Michael Tomasello presents a comprehensive usage-based theory of language acquisition in this groundbreaking book. By drawing together empirical research from cognitive science, linguistics, and developmental psychology, Tomasello argues that children's linguistic ability is deeply intertwined with other cognitive skills.

The essence of language, according to Tomasello, lies in its symbolic dimension, which relies on the uniquely human capacity to comprehend intention. Grammar emerges as speakers create linguistic constructions out of recurring sequences of symbols, patterns that children pick up from the words they hear around them.

Existing theories of language acquisition assume fundamental skills of intention-reading and pattern-finding, but Tomasello contends that these are not separate processes requiring additional explanations. Instead, he offers a compellingly argued new vision for understanding how language is acquired.

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