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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Princeton</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place></P>

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p> </o:p></P>

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Study finds that learning language goes beyond imitation</P>

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">In a language study exploring how people learn correct word use, researchers at <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Princeton</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> and the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Illinois</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> found that language learning goes well beyond simple imitation, and is in fact creative.</P>

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Adele Goldberg, a professor of linguistics at Princeton, and Jeremy Boyd, a postdoctoral researcher now at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Illinois</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>, asked adult speakers to produce sentences containing made-up adjectives, and the researchers found that the speakers carefully evaluated the input they received, and that learning only occurred when the input was deemed informative. The subjects discounted input that seemed irrelevant.</P>

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Full story:</P>

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S29/98/77I40/index.xml?section=newsreleases</P></DIV></BODY></HTML>