230411 First Language Acquisition (S) (WiSe 2025/2026)

In this course, we will discuss and compare some of the main accounts of first language acquisition. Through readings, discussions and weekly exercises, we will examine various accounts of infants’ early phonetic learning and word learning.

We will address questions such as, What learning mechanisms enable infants to learn the sounds of their language? And what learning mechanisms allow children to learn words? Do phonetic learning and word learning stem from the same process or different processes? And what are some of the phenomena that an account of language acquisition would need to explain?

We will discuss the evidence, methods and arguments that have been used to support the various accounts.