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प्रश्न
How is language acquired in human beings?
उत्तर
Language is acquired among human beings in various following stages:
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Infants cry, make a variety of sounds, and learn to babble at six months. These patterns repeat and occur at nine months.
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Holophrases develop by the age of one year and two-word telegraphic speech occurs at 18-20 months.
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Behaviourists like B.F. Skinner are of the view that humans learn language by imitation, reinforcement and associating words with objects. Further, children produce sounds that are appropriate to the language of the care-giver and are reinforced leading to the approximation of desired responses.
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The patterns of reinforcement lead to regional differences in pronunciation and phrasing.
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According to linguist Noam Chomsky, children throughout the world have a critical period for learning language and go through the same stages of language development.
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Chomsky emphasises on built-in readiness that is present in general among all children and helps in acquiring language without direct teaching.
