Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2026 - LING 350 D100

First Language Acquisition (3)

Class Number: 2495

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 11 – Aug 10, 2026: Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    LING 220.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Introduction to the study of language acquisition from the point of view of linguistic structure.

COURSE DETAILS:

The course examines child language acquisition from both linguistic and psychological perspectives. We explore how children acquire the core components of language (speech sounds, morphological structure, word meaning, sentence structure, and pragmatics) and how these systems develop across early childhood. The course also investigates how social interaction, bilingualism, and developmental disorders shape language development. We will answer questions such as:

  • How do infants shift from universal speech perception to language-specific sound systems?
  • Do patterns in children’s morphology and syntax reflect input frequency, cognitive constraints, or underlying grammatical structure?
  • How do children map words to meanings and acquire abstract relationships between words and sentence structure?
  • How do bilingual exposure and caregiver interaction shape language development, and how can we distinguish difference from disorder?
  • What characterizes developmental language disorder and other atypical patterns of language development, and how can research guide accurate identification and effective intervention?

In addition to examining first language acquisition, the course emphasizes experimental design and research methods. Students will engage directly with primary research, including classic and contemporary experimental studies as well as applied and clinical research. Students complete quizzes requiring interpretation of new data and experimental scenarios, analyze child speech samples, develop structured experiment proposals, and design a language-based activity for an atypical population.

 

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Identify and analyze major developmental stages in phonological, morphological, semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic acquisition.
  • Explain experimental and observational methods used in child language research.
  • Analyze child language data to identify developmental patterns and stages.
  • Critically evaluate competing theoretical accounts using empirical evidence.
  • Distinguish typical variation from developmental disorder.
  • Design theoretically motivated research questions and applied language activities.

MODE OF INSTRUCTION/ DELIVERY: In-person 

PLATFORM: Canvas 

Grading

  • In-Class Quizzes and Data Analyses 45%
  • Article Presentation (Group) 10%
  • Experiment Proposals and Language Game 45%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

No textbook; articles and readings are provided on Canvas.


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

Students should familiarize themselves with the Department's Standards on Class Management and Student Responsibilities.

Please note that a grade of “FD” (Failed-Dishonesty) may be assigned as a penalty for academic dishonesty.

All student requests for accommodations for their religious practices must be made in writing by the end of the first week of classes or no later than one week after a student adds a course.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.