儿童早期语言天赋:来自国际研究前沿的证据

Language Talent in Early Childhood Development:Evidence from International Frontier Researches

语言是人类特有的一种高级神经活动,是儿童阅读、学习、智力及社会适应能力等多方面发展的重要工具。孩子出生就有语言天赋源于先天论的理论假说。最近美国纽约大学脑神经科学家的研究为此理论假设提供了实证依据。对单卵和双卵双胞胎的研究也发现,人类的语言获得是受基因决定的。正是语言基因决定了语言中枢的神经元数量以及神经联结的复杂程度和可塑性。这从生物遗传学角度说明,在某种程度上语言可被视为人类独有的天赋。当然后天环境和学习对幼童语言天赋集中爆发的作用也不可忽视。已有研究还揭示了跨语言的幼儿更容易区分人类几乎所有的语音。这是婴幼儿语言天赋爆发的第一"引爆点"。随着词汇量的快速增长,幼童开始语言创造。科学开发幼童语言天赋的主要策略包括从关键内容入手、多开展指认—命名或交谈等活动、尊重儿童语言习得的规律、善用母婴语言、让儿童从错误中学习、正视多语学习等。

Language is a kind of advanced neural activities, which is peculiarly possessed by mankind, and is an important tool in the development process of many aspects such as reading, learning, intelligence and social adaptation for children. It is necessary to attach importance to the exploitation of language of early childhood. The view that children possess language talent after birth derives from nativism. The reason for children in different countries could master such complex languages in just a few years after birth is that humans possess the Language Acquisition Device （LAD） through birth. Not until the new evidence was found by cranial nerve scientists to prove that the theory of Chomsky is right. In addition, numerous researchers have found that language acquisition of mankind was determined by genes by researching on monozygotic twin and dizygotic twin. Language genes determine the quantity of neuron in the language center as well as the complexity and plasticity of nerve combination. It also presents that language could be seen as the peculiar talent owned by mankind in some extents from the perspective of biogenetics. Therefore, language talent is not fabricated, but the explosive and concentrated effects of postnatal environment and learning on language talent of infants and young children are also very important. And researches revealed that cross-language infants are more likely to distinguish almost all of the human voice. This is the first ＂tipping point＂ of language talent outbreak for infants and young children. Based on the latest research results, main strategies are proposed to develop language talent for infants and young children, such as starting with the critical contents, making good use of identifying and naming and conversation, paying attention on principles, taking advantages of mother-child language, letting children learn from mistakes and giving them opportunity of learning multi languages.