bplist00_WebSubresources_WebMainResource  _WebResourceResponse_WebResourceData^WebResourceURL_WebResourceMIMETypeO>bplist00 Y$archiverX$versionT$topX$objects_NSKeyedArchiver _WebResourceResponse )/078?HQZNS.objectsWNS.keys@ABCDEFGIJKLMNOP VServer]Accept-RangesZConnection]Last-ModifiedTDate^Content-LengthTEtag\Content-Type_Microsoft-IIS/5.0UbytesUclose_Fri, 06 Feb 2004 02:57:59 GMT_Tue, 13 Dec 2005 17:38:01 GMTS910_"2d292e75decc31:134e2"12bccd6_NSMutableDictionary\NSDictionary12fgg6_NSHTTPURLResponseInternal12ijjk6_NSHTTPURLResponse]NSURLResponse$)2DILbd!-/13bgp{(-<ANbhn $8lFOGIF89aCu)O~8[FfTrc~q˷, $dihlp,4,)܋[1L۱ !e)pɳAp-m=#  Rm- P& o &zzu oDx'$xK% zq#pl1x^"ojno&o|%=#x(#~o$ ƒ* %{"Z%xf#HxVxj~&$ѳ'nܵ)ԛj'T月W\!6"U XZTFtLZQӏ.;T8Tbh2ɡӌdF#r(A9T܊d~+TCEEBJZZ~zmUĒ-uKQjuZ WJ -lgMuNM mN':T*╘Hݢ<3u#z4joBŬ7Xw!UK1Ig2"fi9zrh~NO! =m"!RY p(Rv WnA$(K WFT%" ʈ2/p96H6I(Sx+N&ho>NlaRo(e IP_1H 7L8VW8fVP v!'Bt& ;J6qjI*E"釙4"Zj hd#mՒ93<N5jA:0WN8kKì&j*Ъk&6F+Vkfv+ކ;_,http://www.medstar.com/images/link/hpage.gifYimage/gif O9bplist00 Y$archiverX$versionT$topX$objects_NSKeyedArchiver _WebResourceResponse )/078?HQZNS.objectsWNS.keys@ABCDEFGIJKLMNOP VServer]Accept-RangesZConnection]Last-ModifiedTDate^Content-LengthTEtag\Content-Type_Microsoft-IIS/5.0UbytesUclose_Fri, 06 Feb 2004 03:02:48 GMT_Tue, 13 Dec 2005 17:38:01 GMTS304_"c07790b35decc31:134e2"12bccd6_NSMutableDictionary\NSDictionary12fgg6_NSHTTPURLResponseInternal12ijjk6_NSHTTPURLResponse]NSURLResponse$)2DILbd!-/13\ajuy "'6;H\bh3lAO0GIF89a2 8Ͽppp```PPP@@@000 ,2 ` dih, Cb'(da"_ΐXɎ"Œ@P4#@#X:Ppk䬅I"ԑxO'" KU$M1{cW oXZ\$LtiFb#oE\[M P Vo0H#R  ]p @0"L O"e"Vk!;_&http://www.medstar.com/images/back.gif O?bplist00 Y$archiverX$versionT$topX$objects_NSKeyedArchiver _WebResourceResponse )/078?HQZNS.objectsWNS.keys@ABCDEFGIJKLMNOP VServer]Accept-RangesZConnection]Last-ModifiedTDate^Content-LengthTEtag\Content-Type_Microsoft-IIS/5.0UbytesUclose_Fri, 06 Feb 2004 03:03:58 GMT_Tue, 13 Dec 2005 17:38:02 GMTS493_"8a1e32dd5decc31:134e2"12bccd6_NSMutableDictionary\NSDictionary12fgg6_NSHTTPURLResponseInternal12ijjk6_NSHTTPURLResponse]NSURLResponse$)2DILbd!-/13bgp{(-<ANbhn!%9lGOGIF89as8ϻvvvfffUUUEEE111!!!,s` dihlp,tmx|dL@-kjY8E͂J2B@&]nHCB],Dt %(tuhusv~u "qG+n#  g "$'u yu c " m$q"͓ "u]]#%v cRut֮ HMHR9:(` (AFx- Eb6UVr!?HQZNS.objectsWNS.keys@ABCDEFGIJKLMNOP VServer]Accept-RangesZConnection]Last-ModifiedTDate^Content-LengthTEtag\Content-Type_Microsoft-IIS/5.0UbytesUclose_Fri, 06 Feb 2004 03:02:49 GMT_Tue, 13 Dec 2005 17:38:02 GMTS555_"73c2fbb35decc31:134e2"12bccd6_NSMutableDictionary\NSDictionary12fgg6_NSHTTPURLResponseInternal12ijjk6_NSHTTPURLResponse]NSURLResponse$)2DILbd!-/13^clw{ $)8=J^dj!5lCO+GIF89a|8ϻvvvfffUUUEEE111!!!,|` dihlp,tmx|-pHc`PhJ&ha@"l΂䎴ViNeRR'G z $zx  |c{ {f{ #z"  "  {"vH+s# zOK"c c "zɷ"óz cwrҟyy#V"fZ6)Ah{B-9t#. L=JVV b2_BB4EFZRQX."!p@ЪR3hNx;2?U ]@1C=XAeQD襚U*z(޼:,9#""y.Xzj-3H CN`pOfӉ2`nIDsS$;_(http://www.medstar.com/images/bginfo.gif _WebResourceTextEncodingNameUUTF-8O/ Welcome to Medstar.

Word Clues


Search Archive:  
10/5/2005

Language and Vocabulary Development
Language is the system we use to communicate. When a baby is born, the only way he knows to “talk” is through crying. Eventually, parents learn to distinguish different types of crying for the infant’s needs (like hungry, tired or a dirty diaper). Between four and six months, the baby begins to make more vocal sounds, learning by listening to others. By one year, most children will begin to make sounds that are closer to speech patterns and may be able to repeat syllable words, like “mama,” “dada” or “bye-bye.”

Language acquisition picks up after one year. Children begin to use one or two-word sentences. By two, sentences contain two to three words and speech is more understandable. From three to four years, a child’s speech becomes more conversational. He/she is able to use short sentences and easily hold a conversation with others. By the time a child reaches kindergarten, he/she uses detailed sentences, is able to tell stories and communicates easily with other children and adults.

Once a child begins to read, language acquisition increases dramatically. New vocabulary words are learned, increasing the ability to read and attain new knowledge.

Teaching Computers to Learn English Vocabulary
Researchers dream of the day when computers and humans can interact with one another as easily as two people can. While we’ve come a long way in computer programming, the ideal human-machine interface is a long way off.

There are many obstacles to teaching a computer to understand English. Our language isn’t easy to learn. While there are many grammar rules, there are also many exceptions to those rules. Many words sound alike, but have different meanings (as in – “She wore a red dress” vs. “I read the book”). In other cases, one spelling can have two different meanings (as in “I fed the pet duck” vs “She had to duck her head”).

Another obstacle is the acquisition of new vocabulary. When a person comes across a new word in a text, there are a couple of options for learning the definition. The first method is to look up the word in a dictionary. Computers can be programmed with a dictionary, but new words and new meanings continue to develop. The new word may not exist in the computer’s database. The second method of learning is to ask someone else. This works for children who can talk to an adult. But a computer doesn’t have a consultant. The last method of finding the definition is to guess at the answer. Sometimes we figure out a meaning based on the context of the rest of the sentence or paragraph.

At University at Buffalo, SUNY (State University of New York), researchers have developed formulas to help computers figure out the meaning of a word based on contextual clues. The method is called contextual vocabulary acquisition. They hope if they can teach a computer to learn new words and meanings, they may be to use the methods to improve children’s reading skills. The investigators hope to develop a curriculum this fall.

AUDIENCE INQUIRY
For information about language learning:
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, http://www.asha.org
Linguistic Society of America, http://www.lsadc.org

For information about computers and artificial intelligence:
American Association for Artificial Intelligence, http://www.aaai.org

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Besner, D., et al., “Spatial Attention as a Necessary Preliminary to Early Processes in Reading,” Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, June 2005, Vol. 59, No. 2, pp. 99-108.

Bimer, Betty, “How Do Children Acquire Language?” Washington, DC: Linguistic Society of America, downloaded from website (http://www.lsadc.org), September 2005.

Bowey, J., “Grammatical Sensitivity,” Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, April 2005, Vol. 90, No. 4, pp. 318-343.

Clark, E., “How Language Acquisition Builds on Cognitive Development,” Trends in Cognitive Science, October 2004, Vol. 8, No. 10, pp. 472-478.

Dehaene, S., et al., “The Neural Code for Written Words,” Trends in Cognitive Science, July 2005, Vol. 9, NO. 7, pp. 335-341.

Graziano-King, J., and H. Cairns, “Acquisition of English Comparative Adjectives,” Journal of Child Language, May 2005, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 345-373.

Harlaar, N., et al., “Genetic Influences on Early Work Recognition Abilities and Disabilities,” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, April 2005, Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 373-384.

“How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?” Rockville: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, downloaded from website (http://www.asha.org), September 21, 2005.

Jackendoff, Ray, “If Computers Are So Smart, Why Can’t They Use Simple English?” Washington, DC: Linguistic Society of America, downloaded from website (http://www.lsadc.org), September 2005.

Justice, L., et al., “Learning New Words From Storybooks,” Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, January 2005, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 17-32.

“Language and Literacy Development,” Rockville: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, downloaded from website (http://www.asha.org), September 21, 2005.

MacWhinney, B., “A Multiple Process Solution to the Logical Problem of Language Acquisition,” Journal of Child Language, November 2004, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 883-914.

Manier, D., et al., “Implicit Contributions of Context to Recognition,” Conscious Cognition, September 2004, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 471-483.

“Natural Language Processing,“ Menlo Park: American Association for Artificial Intelligence, downloaded from website (http://www.aaai.org), September 21, 2005.

Smith, K., “The Evolution of Vocabulary,” Journal of Theoretical Biology, May 7, 2004, Vol. 228, No. 1, pp. 127-142.

Research compiled and edited by Barbara J. Fister


© 2005 Medstar Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 

_khttp://www.medstar.com/content/MS40053b.asp?hp=1&Cid=11&Sid=&TL=1&T=1&L=1&station=WJHL&usid=182700&aid=4919Ytext/html 17@Vhwa =Fz KT]{KKt K