Enculturation Processes in Primary Language Acquisition; Anna Dina Joaquin

Anna Dina L. Joaquin [+–]

California State University

Anna Dina L. Joaquin is Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics and TESL at California State University, Northridge. She is co-author (with Namhee Lee, Lisa Mikesell, Andrea Mates and John Schumann) of The Interactional Instinct: The Evolution and Acquisition of Language (OUP, 2009).

The first part of the book examines the practices by which we are enculturated. Indeed, members of a society are socialized into their culture, and more specifically to use language through language via processes that include eavesdropping, observation, participation, imitation, and language socialization. However, ethnographic accounts also overwhelmingly show that children become enculturated in large part on their own initiative. The second part of the book argues for a motivation to attune to, seek out, and become like others—or an ‘interactional instinct’, which facilitates enculturation and the biology that subserves it. The closing chapters explore more of our biological readiness and the neurological structures and systems that may have evolved to respond to the input provided by society to facilitate the learning of cultural practices and traditions by its youth. The picture that emerges indicates that biology is nature and culture is nurture, but there is no nurture without nature, and it is nurture that provides for the phylogenetic development of our biological nature. The ontogenesis of language behavior, i.e. its acquisition, cannot occur without its evolved biology or without its evolved cultural practices for socialization.

Prelims

Acknowledgements [+–] ix – x

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

This book combines research and perspectives from anthropology, sociology, applied linguistics, developmental psychology and neurobiology to argue for a theory of language acquisition via enculturation. The first part of the book examines the practices by which we are enculturated. Indeed, members of a society are socialized into their culture, and more specifically to use language through language via processes that include eavesdropping, observation, participation, imitation, and language socialization. However, ethnographic accounts also overwhelmingly show that children become enculturated in large part on their own initiative. The second part of the book argues for a motivation to attune to, seek out, and become like others—or an 'interactional instinct', which facilitates enculturation and the biology that subserves it. The closing chapters explore more of our biological readiness and the neurological structures and systems that may have evolved to respond to the input provided by society to facilitate the learning of cultural practices and traditions by its youth. The picture that emerges indicates that biology is nature and culture is nurture, but there is no nurture without nature, and it is nurture that provides for the phylogenetic development of our biological nature. The ontogenesis of language behavior, i.e. its acquisition, cannot occur without its evolved biology or without its evolved cultural practices for socialization.

Foreword [+–] xi – xii

John H. Schumann

UCLA

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Professor Schumann’s interests lie in language acquisition, the neurobiology of language, and the language evolution. He was a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in Iran, and after finishing his service he became the director Peace Corps TESL program in that country. He later taught ESL at the junior high school level in Waltham Mass. He received his doctorate in human development from a Harvard University Graduate School of Education in 1975. He has been a professor at UCLA since that time. Professor Schumann served as chair of the Department of Applied Linguistics and TESL for 16 years.

Introduction and overview [+–] 1 – 6

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

Cultural practices for internalization [+–] 7 – 25

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

In this chapter, the author discusses situations that make interpersonal communication possible in children’s lives, giving them the opportunity to become a socially competent member of society.

The interactional instinct for cultural learning [+–] 26 – 51

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

This chapter argues that we are born with an Interactional Instinct (Lee et al., 2009), which is motivated by the sociostatic value of attachment and affiliation.

Affiliation as motivation for interaction: A neurobiology for the interactional instinct [+–] 52 – 66

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

This chapter explores what mediates an infant’s ability to engage and what motivates a neonate as young as 8 minutes old to elicit, engage, and prolong interaction.

The caregiver’s instinct [+–] 67 – 79

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

In this chapter, the author explores caregiver behaviors toward infants and explore their underlying motivations.

Learning via eavesdropping [+–] 80 – 95

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

In some parts of the world children have to learn language mostly, if not exclusively, through eavesdropping. This chapter attempts to address some of the issues raised by such learning contexts.

Mirror neurons for the interactional instinct and culture learning [+–] 96 – 103

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

In this chapter, explore more of the biology that might be a part of acquiring language within such contexts.

Socializing the prefrontal cortex [+–] 104 – 137

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

This chapter furthers the discussion of the biological readiness and neurological systems that have evolved to respond to the input provided by society to enculturate its youth.

Appraisal, behavior and language pragmatics [+–] 138 – 154

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

To continue the discussion on the biological readiness and neurological structures and systems that have evolved to respond to input, this section discusses a system that involves prior experiences and learned cultural schemas in appraising a context or situation to make social decisions, to affect behavior, and to use language.

Challenges to the theory and conclusion [+–] 155 – 166

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

In this chapter, the author discusses potential challenges to the perspective, including autism and the sociality of other animals.

Appendix A

Transcription conventions [+–] 167 – 168

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

References

References [+–] 169 – 202

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

Index

Index [+–] 203 – 216

Anna Dina L. Joaquin

California State University

This book has great potential for influence. It is a very clever demonstration of the relatedness between behaviorial views of language and cultural acquisition and neurobiology.
Ryan Nelson, University of Louisiana, Lafayette

Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand socio-neurobiology of language acquisition. It achieves this in a manner that will be informative for developmental psychologists, socio-cultural theorists, and neurobiologists of language.
From the Foreword by John H. Schumann, University of California, Los Angeles

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Enculturation Processes in Primary Language Acquisition

Anna Dina L. Joaquin [+–]

California State University

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