Comparing the Impact of the Input Source in Modelling Child Language Acquisition
Svea Bösch
Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication, University of Amsterdam
Jelke Bloem
Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, University of Amsterdam
Raquel Garrido Alhama
Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication, University of Amsterdam
Typical child language development does not take place in isolation, with communicative input from both adults as well as other children. However, prior attempts at modelling language acquisition have largely neglected the influence that peer-speech can have on development, opting to focus on the effects of child-directed speech or adult interactions on language development.
Here, we examine how a model with child-directed input compares to a model with peer-speech input on the basis of on the basis of which offers a more accurate picture of the developmental patterns observed in children's language learning. These models will be comparatively evaluated based upon the metrics of frequency and appropriateness of telegraphic speech (a simplified form of speech, wherein grammatical function words and inflectional endings are omitted) and optional infinitive errors (when the infinitive form of verbs are used despite the target being an inflected form of the verb), the age of acquisition of vocabulary, and their ability to appropriately answer wh-questions. These metrics have been selected as they align with the development of typically developing children's language skills.
By introducing a model with peer-speech as the primary input into the existing corpus of models of language acquisition, we hope to bring the standard of language acquisition modelling closer to the actual development of children. Our model will allow us to analyse the effects of different types of linguistic input on a variety on lexical and grammatical development.