Constructing language: a framework for explaining acquisition

doi:10.1016/j.tics.2025.05.015

Constructing language: a framework for explaining acquisition

2025-06-24

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Caroline F. Rowland *

DOI：10.1016/j.tics.2025.05.015

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Abstract

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To explain how children acquire language, we need to develop well-specified theories of how the human language-learning mechanisms build linguistic representations. We propose a constructivist framework for future theory-building and suggest that this is a valuable framework for developing unified explanations of acquisition across the board. We describe four components of constructivism and show how they successfully account for the evidence we have accumulated in the literature thus far. We argue that, by embedding these four components in their own theories, researchers from every tradition are more likely to generate successful explanations of language acquisition.

Keywords:

active learning

constructivism

dynamic development

language acquisition

language-ready brain

multimodal environment

Constructing language: a framework for explaining acquisition

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