MODELS OF LANGUAGE-DEVELOPMENT - AN EMERGENTIST PERSPECTIVE

Much of the field of child language makes the assumption that language learning involves a maturationally determined bioprogram and innately prespecified rules and representations. However, several key experime ntal and modeling findings, in conjunction with recent theoretical ins ights regarding the dynamics of learning and change, have motivated re searchers to abandon key premises of this approach. In this chapter, w e provide an overview of several contributions of Connectionism (Elman et al. [1996] Cambridge, MA: MIT Press) and Dynamic Systems Theory (T helen and Smith [1994] Cambridge, MA: MIT Press; Smith and Thelen [199 3] Cambridge, MA: MIT Press) in the context of current empirical findi ngs in this field. These perspectives have contributed to a reframing of the nature-nurture debate, the domain specific nature of linguistic abilities, and the importance of individuaI differences. (C) 1997 Wil ey-Liss, Inc.