Applied Linguistics – Language and Speaker

Basic theories of language acquisition/learning:
nativist vs. behaviourist, formal (emphasis on syntax and phonology) vs. functional (emphasis on semantics and pragmatics)
Neurological, developmental-psychological basis for mastering language(s).
Laws and phases of speaking development in early, mid- and late childhood.
Mutual dependence between language development and cognitive development.
Developing language skills (speech, acquiring lexis, syntax, pragmatics) and communication skills (sociolinguistic and communicative competences).
The concept of language deficit and speech defects.
Typology of bilingualism with regard to:
- correlation between sign/word (naming) and concept (compound/coordinate bilingualism)
- sequence of mastering two languages (simultaneous/parallel bilingualism, consecutive/sequential bilingualism)
- language skills in both languages (dominant/balanced bilingualism)
- function of the two languages
- identity and identification of the bilingual speaker.
Identifying the critical period for language acquisition/learning.
Linguistic, social and psychological strategies in language acquisition/learning.
Developmental characteristics of the speech of bilingual children: language imixing, language switching, translating.
Language interference vs. language transfer.
Metalinguistic awareness in monolingual and bilingual speakers: lexis, phonology, syntax.