Copernican Revolution . org
Transforming Our Lives through Self Reflection and Psychology
A psychology professor's collection of lessons fostering self-discovery through online activities, hands-on classroom experiences, engaging lectures, and effective discussion prompts.
Engaging Classroom Experience
The Language Game
A psychology class game illustrating children's language development by having students create their own language, inspired by making real Ludwig Wittgenstein's philosophical ."language games."
During an exchange with another student during class at American University, John Shosky said something about Wittgenstein’s Tractatus I believed was factually incorrect. I lingered after class, waiting for other students to fade away, and quietly showed him the passage saying exactly the opposite. “Why didn’t you say something?” he asked, emphatic and perplexed. I wouldn’t challenge somebody I respected, and risk embarrassing him. He encouraged me to be assertive - one of many lessons I take from him, his Philosophy classes, and his mentorship of our Philosophy club. I was terrified asking him to write me a grad school letter, but his reaction felt genuinely joyful. I admire the depth of his classes and his passion for Philosophy. Rest in peace, Dr. Shosky. ~ Katie 🌸💚
Dr. John Shosky (1995-2024)
My Philosophy Professor, who wrote speeches for conservative presidents and adored liberal philosopher Betrand Russell. I'm a bundle of contractions too.
“
Philosophy is a battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by means of language.
Create Your Own Language Game
Despite the importance of language development students can fail to appreciate the topic because of its abstractness. To make language concrete, I created a fun, interactive, small-group activity enhancing students' understanding and appreciation of psychology of language concepts. Students experience language development firsthand by inventing and using a limited language within a controlled environment. Students, organized into groups, engage in "time-in" segments to develop their limited language using assigned phonemes and a set of 24 shapes. Teaching slides, group phoneme handouts, shape cut-out templates, and a paper about a study demonstrating student learning with the Language Game are freely available here (CopernicanRevolution.org)
Philosopher Wittgenstein (1958) speculated on the origins of language in his blue and brown notebooks by evoking imaginary thought-experiments where people must develop a shared understanding of words in “language games.” I adapted Wittgenstein’s language games into a “world” where during "time-out" segments students can compare and contrast psychological findings of language development to their own experiences in a language game. Language development topics, include phonemes, the whole-object constraint, language explosion, pragmatics, and over-extensions & under-extensions. By comparing and contrasting children’s language development with their experience in this inquiry-learning activity, students have an opportunity to think critically and thoroughly engage the material.
Begin by Illustrating an operational definition of language skill by facing a classroom wall, making a picture with shapes, and describing your picture in your native language. Facing the opposite wall, volunteers makes the same picture from an identical set of shapes by only hearing your words. Students’ goal is to demonstrate the same language skill in a language they invent within a limited world. Their world consists of 5 phonemes and 24 shapes (4 geometric figures * 2 sizes * 3 colors). Assign each group different phonemes. Explain the first language concept, phonemes (e.g., Werker, 1989), so students understand how to play. For an 80-minute class, you can have five 7-minute “time-in’s” alternating with five 4-minute discussions. This allows time for explaining the game at the beginning (including phonemes) and for demonstrating language skills at the end.
Students typically sit dumbfounded for the first two minutes of the first time-in. They can not say things like, “Let’s make up the word “chooch” from 2 of our phonemes and use it for blue.” About three-quarters of student groups start their language on their own. For those struggling, give the following nudge. Combine some of their phonemes (e.g., “bak”), point to a single shape, and say the word. You may need to say the word while looking at each student. Within about 30 seconds, at least one student will show recognition by repeating the word and possibly creating more words. If necessary, point to a new shape but say nothing. Once a student makes up a word, your affirm it by describing the shape the with the same word. Your help is no longer needed.
At the first time-out, I gesture to an object and make up a word, like "chooch." Most students instantly map the meaning of “chooch” to the whole object. Note how surprising our agreement is because we never discussed rules for creating new words. You can continue explaining how one thing facilitating children’s word learning is biases (i.e., assumptions) we have when we hear new words, the whole-object constraint guides their understanding (e.g., Markman, 1991). They assume that a novel word refers to the entire object of shared attention, rather than to a part or a quality of the object. Ask if they used the whole object constraint when starting their languages. Most have. The most common alternative is to lay the geometric figures systematically and use a word for whole sets. For example, they may create three piles for each of the three colors and give a word for each pile, clearly understood as the color. When students do this, I ask why children do not do the same thing. We note college students’ use abstract thinking skills (i.e., categorization, planning) during the game. With prompting, this allows for a nice reminder of class discussion of developmental theories, notably the debate between Piaget (1962) and Vygotsky (1962) over the relationship between thought and language. Each subsequent time-out involves similar discussion comparing and contrasting language game play with children’s language development.
The language development game is a practical activity for typical college classes. It illustrates how fields like Psychology and Philosophy can incorporate one another.It illustrates how more activities to teach Developmental Psychology can be created with analogs to children’s development. Students enjoy learning through this activity and it encourages students to think critically.
Philosopher Wittgenstein (1958) speculated on the origins of language in his blue and brown notebooks by evoking imaginary thought-experiments where people must develop a shared understanding of words in “language games.” I adapted Wittgenstein’s language games into a “world” where during "time-out" segments students can compare and contrast psychological findings of language development to their own experiences in a language game. Language development topics, include phonemes, the whole-object constraint, language explosion, pragmatics, and over-extensions & under-extensions. By comparing and contrasting children’s language development with their experience in this inquiry-learning activity, students have an opportunity to think critically and thoroughly engage the material.
Begin by Illustrating an operational definition of language skill by facing a classroom wall, making a picture with shapes, and describing your picture in your native language. Facing the opposite wall, volunteers makes the same picture from an identical set of shapes by only hearing your words. Students’ goal is to demonstrate the same language skill in a language they invent within a limited world. Their world consists of 5 phonemes and 24 shapes (4 geometric figures * 2 sizes * 3 colors). Assign each group different phonemes. Explain the first language concept, phonemes (e.g., Werker, 1989), so students understand how to play. For an 80-minute class, you can have five 7-minute “time-in’s” alternating with five 4-minute discussions. This allows time for explaining the game at the beginning (including phonemes) and for demonstrating language skills at the end.
Students typically sit dumbfounded for the first two minutes of the first time-in. They can not say things like, “Let’s make up the word “chooch” from 2 of our phonemes and use it for blue.” About three-quarters of student groups start their language on their own. For those struggling, give the following nudge. Combine some of their phonemes (e.g., “bak”), point to a single shape, and say the word. You may need to say the word while looking at each student. Within about 30 seconds, at least one student will show recognition by repeating the word and possibly creating more words. If necessary, point to a new shape but say nothing. Once a student makes up a word, your affirm it by describing the shape the with the same word. Your help is no longer needed.
At the first time-out, I gesture to an object and make up a word, like "chooch." Most students instantly map the meaning of “chooch” to the whole object. Note how surprising our agreement is because we never discussed rules for creating new words. You can continue explaining how one thing facilitating children’s word learning is biases (i.e., assumptions) we have when we hear new words, the whole-object constraint guides their understanding (e.g., Markman, 1991). They assume that a novel word refers to the entire object of shared attention, rather than to a part or a quality of the object. Ask if they used the whole object constraint when starting their languages. Most have. The most common alternative is to lay the geometric figures systematically and use a word for whole sets. For example, they may create three piles for each of the three colors and give a word for each pile, clearly understood as the color. When students do this, I ask why children do not do the same thing. We note college students’ use abstract thinking skills (i.e., categorization, planning) during the game. With prompting, this allows for a nice reminder of class discussion of developmental theories, notably the debate between Piaget (1962) and Vygotsky (1962) over the relationship between thought and language. Each subsequent time-out involves similar discussion comparing and contrasting language game play with children’s language development.
The language development game is a practical activity for typical college classes. It illustrates how fields like Psychology and Philosophy can incorporate one another.It illustrates how more activities to teach Developmental Psychology can be created with analogs to children’s development. Students enjoy learning through this activity and it encourages students to think critically.
References
Markman, E. M. (1991). The whole-object, taxonomic, and mutual exclusivity assumptions as initial constraints on word meanings. In S. A. Gelman & J. P. Byrnes (Eds) Perspectives on language and thought: Interrelations in development, New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Piaget, J. (1962). Comments on Vygotsky’s Critical Remarks. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1958).Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press.
Werker, J. F. (1989). Becoming a native listener. American Scientist, 77, 54-59.
Wittgenstein, L. (1958). Preliminary studies for the “Philosophical Investigation” generally known as the blue and brown books. Oxford, Great Britain, Basil Blackwell & Mott
Piaget, J. (1962). Comments on Vygotsky’s Critical Remarks. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1958).Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press.
Werker, J. F. (1989). Becoming a native listener. American Scientist, 77, 54-59.
Wittgenstein, L. (1958). Preliminary studies for the “Philosophical Investigation” generally known as the blue and brown books. Oxford, Great Britain, Basil Blackwell & Mott
Citation
Grobman, K. H. (2006, August). Parallels between children’s language development and the philosophical “language games” of Ludwig Wittgenstein. In H. Sweet (Chair) Teaching Psychology with Experiential Activities. Symposium conducted at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA.
Grobman, K. H. (2002). Create Your Own Language Game. CopernicanRevolution.org (originally DevPsy.org)
Grobman, K. H. (2006, August). Parallels between children’s language development and the philosophical “language games” of Ludwig Wittgenstein. In H. Sweet (Chair) Teaching Psychology with Experiential Activities. Symposium conducted at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA.
Grobman, K. H. (2002). Create Your Own Language Game. CopernicanRevolution.org (originally DevPsy.org)
