Topics in Language Acquisition: Language Acquisition and Cognitive Development

What is the relationship between how we think and how we speak? This course explores the concurrent development of children's linguistic and cognitive abilities. Topics include the relationship between word meanings and concepts, the structure of the mental lexicon, pragmatic development, and the Whorfian hypothesis (whether speakers of different languages think differently). Students will read and discuss empirical and theoretical articles, and complete a set of writing assignments and problem sets. Prerequisite: CPSY 0610 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Appropriate for students interested in developmental/cognitive psychology, linguistics, and applied fields such as speech-language pathology.