FINAL PROJECT OF PSYCHOLINGUISTICS (MINI RESEARCH)

By Rizka Hartati T20186071

PBI 02

A. INTRODUCTION
Every human being has the ability to acquire or learn languages by himself.
That means that the mastery of language in humans in the process is natural and
unintentional. The natural ability of humans to acquire or learn languages is called the
Language Acquisition Device (LAD). According to Noam Chomsky, a professor of
linguistics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said that LAD is owned
by a child from birth, so that it is possible to acquire both mother tongue and other
languages. When the child is born he will automatically be involved in the linguistic
environment and will begin to develop his language skills.
Talking about language, in obtaining it or improving language skills one of
them is by way of acquisition. Acquisition is learning to acquire language
unconsciously or unintentionally, taking place anywhere, unstructured and naturally
controlled by the environment. This means that the environment can be one of the
dominant factors. In general, every normal child whose mind growth will get first
language or mother tongue in the first years of life, and this process occurs until about
the age of 5 years.
To help children in getting their first language, it is better for us to know what
are the important factors in the process of obtaining a first language. In this mini
research the writer will focus on a toddler aged 1 and a half years in obtaining his first
language.
B. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Language Acquisition Affecting Factors There are several factors that
influence the acquisition and mastery of language. Among them are the linguistic
environment (language environment), neurological aspects, and routines. The speed of
each in learning or mastering the language depends on the ability of the individual and
the environment in which he lives. The language environment is everything, be it
things that can be heard or seen. Generally, the language environment is divided into
 two, namely (1) the formal or artificial environment found in the learning process; (2)
informal or natural environment, which is found in people's lives (Krashen, 1982: 40).
In a study it was said that language development cannot be separated from the
physical, cognitive, and social emotional development of each individual. Cultural
factors of parents can also influence children in obtaining their first language. Besides
the behavior of people around, technology, and formal learning programs in their area
can also affect someone in obtaining their first language (Erwinta Y, 2016)

C. DISCUSSION
In this mini research, this toddler with the initial H looks very curious about
things he doesn't know yet. When he asks a number of things he does not know, and
the writer then tells which of the objects, then H will immediately imitate. In addition,
when talking with others, he also actively asked this and that. If he listens to a
vocabulary he has just heard, he will quickly remember and imitate. This indicates
that the environment is very influential on how each child gets his first language.
However, in terms of pronunciation, of course H has limitations in saying a
long vocabulary. Like for example the word "curek-curek", H will only pronounce the
last syllable which is to be "wek-wek" this is also because H has not been fully able to
pronounce the letter R. Besides that in the word "Ratu Anom" he will only pronounce
the last syllable which is to become "nom-nom". To pronounce a complex vocabulary,
H certainly gets into trouble like when asked to pronounce the word "Pohon Kelapa"
then H will pronounce the word in his fiction to be "ohoh lelelapa" or when asked to
say a long sentence for example "papa zola ganteng" then H will only say "hateng".
At an early age, of course, has imperfections in pronouncing several letters including
R, N, K, C and so on. For example, in pronouncing "coklat", H will pronounce it as
"engklak".
In addition, he also often listens to songs or videos played by his sister, so he
memorizes the lyrics of the song. The more he hears, the more adept he is at
memorizing the lyrics. Can even follow the beat, of course, still with imperfect
pronunciation.
For understand some conversation, H can already catch what the other person
is saying to him. But even the things that are understood are limited, they are still only
about the vocabulary he knows, and for the answer, it's only about him and not. If the
question is difficult or not understood according to him, he will answer it with a
 vocabulary that he knows or the last word heard. As if asked "ma uke pantai apa ke
rumah pohon?" then the answer is "nte" or "mah ohon" because the words "pantai"
and "rumah pohon" are known words. However, if the same question is repeated
again in a short time, then we can get a different answer. This proves that he knew the
vocabulary in the sentence but did not understand the meaning of the sentence.
It is different if asked about the vocabulary he knows, such as "sudah mandi?"
then H will answer "dah dik" meaning he has taken a bath, or if he has not yet replied
"lom dik" means not yet bathed. Another example is if asked "siapa mandiin?" then if
the person who was bathing was his mother then H would answer "mak dik in" and if
his sister who bathed H would answer "takya dik in" that means kak lia bathed.
D. CONCLUSION
1. The languages that became the little boy H first languages is Indonesian because
parents, and the environment uses Indonesian.
2. There were two factors influenced by the little boy, H first language acquisition,
environment, and routines.
3. In reciting a vocabulary H gets some difficulties because he is not perfect in
saying a few letters.
4. The little boy H can only understand the content or purpose of a conversation on
certain things that are only known and known by his vocabulary.