Vitamin D linked to brain development

Aug 28, 2012
"Vitamin D is important for the development of memory and cognitive function. There's enough evidence to say that those who have a vitamin D deficiency have higher incidents of impaired memory, which can often be a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. There is enough proof to suggest that vitamin D plays an important role in brain development and helps in protecting nerve cells. People who have lower levels of vitamin D often do badly on tests to measure their cognitive function," say Dr PP Ashok, Head - Division of Neurology at Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai.

Other studies have also shown a direct link between vitamin D and cognitive function. TheUniversity of Cambridge conducted a study of people over the age of 65. It involved testing the vitamin D levels of participants and then testing their cognitive functions. The study showed a distinct difference between people who had low levels of vitamin D and those who had normal levels of vitamin D. The cognitive functions of the former were markedly worse than the latter.

Another study conducted by the University of Manchester across eight European countries established a similar link. It was conducted among a group of 3100 men between the ages of 40 and 79. According to the study, men with lower levels of vitamin D took much longer to process information than those with normal levels of the vitamin. And this difference in processing information was much more marked in men above the age of 60.

These studies have also been cited as evidence for establishing a link between low levels of vitamin D and diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, since cognitive impairment are the first signs of such diseases.

"It has also been observed that children born to mothers deficient in vitamin D during pregnancy tend to see impaired brain development and in extreme cases can even suffer from autism," says Dr Ashok.

A study conducted by the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, shows that vitamin D plays an active role in combating amyloid-beta protein that is directly responsible for causing Alzheimer's. People with a constantly normal level of vitamin D throughout their lives are therefore less likely to be afflicted by the disease than those with low levels. Researchers are currently working on understanding this mechanism in greater detail in order to enhance treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's.

So how do I raise my vitamin D levels? 

So if you think you are vitamin D deficient, it's time to go get yourself medically examined and address the situation. The best way to shore up your vitamin D levels is through exposure to sunlight for at least 15 to 20 minutes before 10 am, for four to five times a week. You may, however, need more or less time under the sun depending on your skin tone, which affects absorption levels. It is, therefore, ideal to check your vitamin D levels at regular intervals and adjust your routine accordingly. It is also advisable to add foods rich in vitamin D to your diet.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Vitamin-D-linked-to-brain-development/articleshow/15885019.cms

Common Core State Standards for English Language Learners

Application of Common Core State Standards for English Language Learners
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School
Officers strongly believe that all students should be held to the same high expectations outlined in the
Common Core State Standards. This includes students who are English language learners (ELLs).
However, these students may require additional time, appropriate instructional support, and aligned
assessments as they acquire both English language proficiency and content area knowledge.
ELLs are a heterogeneous group with differences in ethnic background, first language,
socioeconomic status, quality of prior schooling, and levels of English language proficiency.
Effectively educating these students requires diagnosing each student instructionally, adjusting
instruction accordingly, and closely monitoring student progress. For example, ELLs who are literate
in a first language that shares cognates with English can apply first-language vocabulary knowledge
when reading in English; likewise ELLs with high levels of schooling can often bring to bear
conceptual knowledge developed in their first language when reading in English. However, ELLs
with limited or interrupted schooling will need to acquire background knowledge prerequisite to
educational tasks at hand. Additionally, the development of native like proficiency in English takes
many years and will not be achieved by all ELLs especially if they start schooling in the US in the
later grades. Teachers should recognize that it is possible to achieve the standards for reading and
literature, writing & research, language development and speaking & listening without manifesting
native-like control of conventions and vocabulary.

English Language Arts
The Common Core State Standards for English language arts (ELA) articulate rigorous grade-level
expectations in the areas of speaking, listening, reading, and writing to prepare all students to be
college and career ready, including English language learners. Second-language learners also will
benefit from instruction about how to negotiate situations outside of those settings so they are able to
participate on equal footing with native speakers in all aspects of social, economic, and civic
endeavors.
ELLs bring with them many resources that enhance their education and can serve as resources for
schools and society. Many ELLs have first language and literacy knowledge and skills that boost
their acquisition of language and literacy in a second language; additionally, they bring an array of
talents and cultural practices and perspectives that enrich our schools and society. Teachers must
build on this enormous reservoir of talent and provide those students who need it with additional time
and appropriate instructional support. This includes language proficiency standards that teachers can
use in conjunction with the ELA standards to assist ELLs in becoming proficient and literate in
English. To help ELLs meet high academic standards in language arts it is essential that they have
access to:
• Teachers and personnel at the school and district levels who are well prepared and qualified
to support ELLs while taking advantage of the many strengths and skills they bring to the
classroom;
• Literacy-rich school environments where students are immersed in a variety of language
experiences;
• Instruction that develops foundational skills in English and enables ELLs to participate fully
in grade-level coursework;
• Coursework that prepares ELLs for postsecondary education or the workplace, yet is made
comprehensible for students learning content in a second language (through specific
pedagogical techniques and additional resources);
• Opportunities for classroom discourse and interaction that are well-designed to enable ELLs
to develop communicative strengths in language arts;
• Ongoing assessment and feedback to guide learning; and
• Speakers of English who know the language well enough to provide ELLs with models and
support.

Mathematics
ELLs are capable of participating in mathematical discussions as they learn English. Mathematics
instruction for ELL students should draw on multiple resources and modes available in classrooms—
such as objects, drawings, inscriptions, and gestures—as well as home languages and mathematical
experiences outside of school. Mathematics instruction for ELLs should address mathematical
discourse and academic language. This instruction involves much more than vocabulary lessons.
Language is a resource for learning mathematics; it is not only a tool for communicating, but also a
tool for thinking and reasoning mathematically. All languages and language varieties (e.g., different
dialects, home or everyday ways of talking, vernacular, slang) provide resources for mathematical
thinking, reasoning, and communicating.
Regular and active participation in the classroom—not only reading and listening but also discussing,
explaining, writing, representing, and presenting—is critical to the success of ELLs in mathematics.
Research has shown that ELLs can produce explanations, presentations, etc. and participate in
classroom discussions as they are learning English.
ELLs, like English-speaking students, require regular access to teaching practices that are most
effective for improving student achievement. Mathematical tasks should be kept at high cognitive
demand; teachers and students should attend explicitly to concepts; and students should wrestle with
important mathematics.

Overall, research suggests that:
• Language switching can be swift, highly automatic, and facilitate rather than inhibit solving
word problems in the second language, as long as the student’s language proficiency is
sufficient for understanding the text of the word problem;
• Instruction should ensure that students understand the text of word problems before they
attempt to solve them;
• Instruction should include a focus on “mathematical discourse” and “academic language”
because these are important for ELLs. Although it is critical that
• students who are learning English have opportunities to communicate mathematically, this is
not primarily a matter of learning vocabulary. Students learn to participate in mathematical
reasoning, not by learning vocabulary, but by making conjectures, presenting explanations,
and/or constructing arguments; and
• While vocabulary instruction is important, it is not sufficient for supporting mathematical
communication. Furthermore, vocabulary drill and practice are not the most effective
instructional practices for learning vocabulary.

Research has demonstrated that vocabulary learning occurs most successfully through instructional environments that are language-rich, actively involve students in using language, require that students both understand spoken or written words and also express that understanding orally and in writing, and require students to use words in multiple ways over extended periods of time. To develop written and oral
communication skills, students need to participate in negotiating meaning for mathematical situations and in mathematical practices that require output from students.
http://www.corestandards.org/assets/application-for-english-learners.pdf

Language: The Indo-European myth

Language: The Indo-European myth

Posted on August 20, 2012 By D. Carbonell Basset Heritage

Is it true that European tongues stem from a single parent language? Was Indo-European ever spoken? (Shutterstock)

Myths and legends are part of the human species since the dawn of man, being the creation of the brain and having become the collective lore of humankind. Science is trying hard to debunk all the erroneous ideas that we have been piling for ages but, unfortunately, to no avail. Logic and common sense are no match against rooted myths and ideas of long standing, which hold us back and cloud our thinking no matter how hard we try to dispel them. The collective myth tradition is a thick wall to pull down.

People in general have their share of preconceived ideas about the linguistic phenomenon, and myths and legends have been created to explain the unexplainable.

The idea of a common ancient language, Indo-European, supposedly spoken thousands of years ago, from which our languages derive, was a theory invented in the 19th century in order to explain the unexplainable, similar to when we do not understand a process in nature we say it is a miracle. Observing similarities between Sanskrit, Greek and Latin, linguists concluded that there might have been a language from which the others sprung. This is a myth, a legend that does not have a leg to stand on. There is no written evidence of such a language, so the whole theory is not supported by empirical, scientific knowledge. Sir William Jones was the precursor of this harebrained idea in 1786.

The Indo-European myth gave rise to another more dangerous one: The Aryan Race, the Caucasian peoples who inhabited Europe, Caucasus, and spoke that supposed language. We remember the tragic results of such myths.

The origin of language is lost in the shadows and mists of time and we may try to figure out all kinds of fancy answers and solutions which may sound acceptable, but they are unscientific and fanciful. Languages have been evolving and changing forever, in order to accommodate themselves to new needs and changing conditions. The simple disparity the way man has solved the communication problem, shows that there is a common link in them all: the fact that ideas must be expressed using sound, voice.

The best theory is that Darwin’s evolution applies to language itself as well, as man had the need to communicate simple ideas to others and evolved a means of doing this along time in a helter-skelter way, at random, not having a purpose, a blueprint, an outline. If man is the result of randomness, language is also the result of randomness, of chance and evolution during millions of years. Evolution in language is the evolution of man, a slow process that has not stopped yet and will never stop.

Man’s great leap forward in evolution was to attach meaning to sound, retain both and pass it on to new generations. In millions of years he had been able to acquire the possibility of making diverse sounds, and his brain put two and two together so that humanity could evolve and perpetuate itself.

The idea of an Indo-European origin of European languages would simply be a stepping stone in the evolution of language, which takes place faster, much faster than the evolution of man. Language is made of sounds, and sounds change fast.

http://www.voxxi.com/language-the-indo-european-myth/

Simon Says Don’t Use Flashcards

By TARA PARKER-POPE

Ben Wiseman

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THE WELL COLUMN

Tara Parker-Pope on living well.

Parents who want to stimulate their children’s brain development often focus on things like early reading, flashcards and language tapes. But a growing body of research suggests that playing certain kinds of childhood games may be the best way to increase a child’s ability to do well in school. Variations on games like Freeze Tag and Simon Says require relatively high levels of executive function, testing a child’s ability to pay attention, remember rules and exhibit self-control — qualities that also predict academic success.

“Play is one of the most cognitively stimulating things a child can do,” says Megan McClelland, an early-childhood-development researcher at Oregon State University who has led much of the research.

The key to games education is to start with a simple game and add increasingly complicated rules. For instance, Oregon researchers have developed a game called Head-to-Toes, which they use to assess preschool children’s development. Initially, the child copies the teacher’s movements, touching her head or toes. But later, the child is expected to do the opposite, touching her toes when the teacher touches her head.

While the game may sound simple, it actually requires a high level of cognitive function for a preschooler, including focus and attention, working memory to remember rules, mental flexibility (to do the opposite) and self-control.

“We tend to equate learning with the content of learning, with what information children have, rather than the how of learning,” says Ellen Galinsky, a child-development researcher and author of “Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs.” “But focusing on the how of learning, on executive functions, gives you the skills to learn new information, which is why they tend to be so predictive of long-term success.”

Research shows that children who develop focus and self-control early in life have better academic achievement in the long term. One study of 814 children between ages 3 and 6 shows that children who do well in Simon Says-like games do better in math and reading. A smaller study of 65 preschool children found that those who started the school year with low levels of self-control showed improvement after playing games in class, including a version of Red Light, Green Light.

An Oregon State study reported on 430 children who were followed from preschool until age 25. The study, published online earlier this month in Early Childhood Research Quarterly, looked at several factors, including early reading and math skills, along with other cognitive skills, to see which were ultimately most influential in college success. It turns out that a child’s ability at age 4 to pay attention and complete a task, the very skills learned in game play, were the greatest predictors of whether he or she finished college by age 25.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/simon-says-dont-use-flashcards/

Researchers investigate early language acquisition in robots

[Date: 2012-08-23]

Research into robotics continues to grow in Europe. And the introduction of humanoid robots has compelled scientists to investigate the acquisition of language. A case in point is a team of researchers in the United Kingdom that studied the development of robots that could acquire linguistic skills. Presented in the journal PLoS ONE, the study focused on early stages analogous to some characteristics of a human child between 6 and 14 months of age, the transition from babbling to first word forms. The results, which shed light on the potential of human-robot interaction systems in studies investigating early language acquisition, are an outcome of the ITALK ('Integration and transfer of action and language knowledge in robots') project, which received EUR 6.3 million under the 'Information and communication technologies' (ICT) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

Scientists from the Adaptive Systems Research Group at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom have discovered that a robot analogous to a child between 6 and 14 months old has the ability to develop rudimentary linguistic skills. The robot, called DeeChee, moved from various syllabic babble to various word forms, including colours and shapes, after it 'conversed' with humans. The latter group was told to speak to the robot as if it were a small child.

'It is known that infants are sensitive to the frequency of sounds in speech, and these experiments show how this sensitivity can be modelled and contribute to the learning of word forms by a robot,' said lead author Caroline Lyon of the University of Hertfordshire.

In their paper, the authors wrote: 'We wanted to explore human-robot interaction and were deliberately not prescriptive. However, leaving participants to talk naturally opened up possibilities of a wide range of behaviour, possibilities that were certainly realised. Some participants were better teachers than others: some of the less good produced very sparse utterances, while other talkative participants praised DeeChee whatever it did, which skewed the learning process towards non-words.'

The researchers said one of the reasons that the robot learnt the words is because the teacher said the words repeatedly, an already anticipated response. The second reason is that the non-salient word strings were variable, so their frequencies were spread about. According to the team, this phenomenon is the basis of a number of automated plagiarism detectors, where precise matches of short lexical strings indicate copying. Lastly, they said the phonemic representation of speech from the teacher to the robot is not a uniformly stable mapping of sounds.

'The frequencies of syllables in words with variable phonemic forms may be attenuated compared with those in salient content words, or parts of such words,' they wrote. 'It has long been realised that there is in practice a great deal of variation in spontaneous speech. This work shows the potential of human-interaction systems to be used in studies of language acquisition, and the iterative development methodology highlights how the embodied nature of interaction may bring to light important factors in the dynamics of language acquisition that would otherwise not occur to modellers.'

http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=34956

New insights into how vascular networks form in fish brains

August 14, 2012 

How the intricate network of blood vessels forms within the brain has long fascinated biologists. Though the human brain comprises only 2 percent of body weight it receives up to 15 percent of the cardiac output through this network, or vessel vasculature. 

The vasculature in the human brain consists of a complex branching network of blood vessels, in total some several hundred miles in length. The network is formed so as to distribute blood efficiently to all brain regions, and abnormalities can lead to various neurological disorders, including strokes, learning difficulties and neurodegeneration. Yet our knowledge of just how the brain vasculature develops remains relatively limited. 

Comparing pruned and unpruned blood vessels, it was apparent that blood flow decreased in vessels prior to the onset of pruning, and when the researchers artificially blocked blood flow in specific vessels this led to vessel pruning—whereas increasing blood flow inhibited pruning in the vessels concerned. 

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-insights-vascular-networks-fish-brains.html#jCp

Starting education early aids kids’ learning

If Smart Start-Centre County could have one lasting message, it would be that high quality learning experiences before age 5 are vital. From birth to age 5, the brain produces 700 synapses per second, while after age 5 no new circuits develop. We must capitalize on those first 5 years or bear the cost later. http://www.centredaily.com/2012/08/12/3296963/starting-education-early-aids.html

Second Language Learning at the Elementary School in the Westlake City School District

After a two-year process, the Westlake City School District will be offering second language learning at
our four elementary schools.  The program’s purpose is to provide students with a foundation for future
learning of second and/or third languages.  Our emphasis is not on one specific language, but rather
on the attainment of second language skills and the brain development benefit that results from this
emphasis; the nature of how it broadens cultural understanding and the fact that attaining a second
language has been shown to greatly increase the probability of expanding to further languages.

Students will learn sounds, sound combinations, vocabulary, and the inflections and nuances of the language taught at their school. This foundation will create new pathways for future language learning, making it easier for students to transfer skills and concepts learned in the elementary school to the language they later choose.

Philosophy on teaching a second language in grades 1-4
What do we want for our students?
We want our students to develop their capacity for second language attainment beginning at an early
age.  Our emphasis is not on one specific language, but rather on the attainment of second language
skills and the brain development benefit that results from this emphasis; the nature of how it broadens
cultural understanding and the fact that attaining a second language has shown to greatly increase
the probability of expanding to further languages.

We know research supports that students are better able to speak and understand second, third and
fourth languages better when a foundation for bilingualism is built in the younger years.  Research also
demonstrates that second language learning at an early age supports higher academic achievement,
provides cognitive benefits to students, and impacts their beliefs and attitudes about language learning
and other cultures.

http://beta.westlake.k12.oh.us/schools/ElementaryPDFs/Second%20Language%20Learning%20in%20Elementary%20School_Branding.pdf

Cambridge’s charters through 800 years of history.

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In 1575 the Borough of Cambridge received a charter from Queen Elizabeth 1 granting the town its own coat of arms.  The original charter carrying the coat of arms, which brings together many of the elements that make Cambridge distinctive, is still in the safekeeping of the Guildhall.

Cambridge’s coat of arms depicts a shield decorated by a bridge over a river with three sailing boats, their sails furled. The shield is topped by a castle and flanked by a pair of magnificent seahorses. Below the castle is a helmet from a suit of armour and above the bridge are two roses and a fleur-de-lis signifying Cambridge’s royal connections. 

Along with an array of items telling the story of Cambridge as an important centre for local and regional government and an international seat of learning, the original 1575 charter will be shown to the public during a talk, The Civic Insignia and Historic Charters, at the Guildhall on Friday 7 September and Saturday, 8 September, 11am to 12.15pm.  

Even earlier than the 1575 charter is the charter that granted the Borough the right to appoint its first Mayor. It was issued by King John and dates from 1207, several decades before the establishment of the first of the Cambridge Colleges, Peterhouse, in 1284.  

The role of Sergeant-at-Mace in Cambridge goes back at least 600 years with the first Sergeant-at-Mace recorded in 1404.  A mace is essentially a hand-held weapon designed to be used by a sergeant or constable in keeping the peace. As weapons, maces became redundant when the arrival of gunpowder saw the development of fire-arms. The mace then became primarily a ceremonial item symbolic of the power of the Mayor as the most important person in the Borough.

Cambridge acquired city status only in 1951. Once again, this was bestowed by a Royal Charter. The monarch who granted it was George VI, father of the present Queen, and the bells of Great St Mary’s church were rung in celebration.

http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/charters-chains-and-civic-pride/

What Americans Don’t Get About the Brain’s Critical Period

By Virginia Hughes | August 2, 2012 | 6 Comments

Toddlers living in a Romanian orphanage

On April 17, 1997, Bill and Hillary Clinton organized a one-day meeting with a long and lofty title: The White House Conference on Early Childhood Development and Learning: What New Research on the Brain Tells Us About Our Youngest Children.

The meeting featured eight-minute presentations from experts in public policy, education and child development, and one neuroscientist. They discussed, among other things, how 6-month-old infants learn to discriminate the sounds of their native language, and how, if a kitten’s eye is patched during early development — and therefore deprived of light inputs — it will go permanently blind in that eye, even after the patch comes off. 

Two studies published in the past week, for example, have shown that children who experience to severe neglect, abuse, or injury in childhood (even after age 3, by the way) have abnormal brain wiring when they hit adolescence.

The first report, published by Nelson and his colleagues in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was part of a 12-year study tracking the fates of 136 Romanian orphans, some of whom were raised in state-run institutions and others in foster care families. Around age 8, children who grew up in institutions have less white matter, the tissue that links up different brain regions, compared with those raised in families, the study found.

This idea is bolstered by the second new study, published yesterday in Neuropsychopharmacology. Researchers in Texas scanned the brains of adolescents who had experienced neglect or abuse before age 10. These kids had weaker white matter tracts in adolescence compared with peers who didn’t experience early adversity. What’s more, the adolescents with deficits in brain connectivity were more likely to be dealing with depression or substance abuse five years later.

http://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2012/08/02/what-americans-dont-get-about-the-brains-critical-period/

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child WORKING PAPER #5

Beginning at birth, all children have the capacity to learn any of the world’s languages. This ability is encoded in our genes and activated by exposure to everyday conversation in an interactive way. Unless a child has a specific disability, the achievement of fluency in any language, as well as the mastery of more than one language at the same time, does not require formal instruction or intervention in the early childhood years. It simply requires ongoing communication with others. Moreover, the younger the brain, the greater its capacity to master more than a single language.  The Timing and Quality of Early Experiences Combine to Shape Brain Architecture http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/resources/reports_and_working_papers/working_papers/wp5/

Unraveling the Mystery of Language Acquisition

Kara Morgan-Short.

Language is the portal to understanding other cultures....Hopefully this research will contribute to those efforts. 

Her dissertation research examined whether adults need grammatical explanation of second-language forms or whether they do better learning in an immersion-type situation. “I needed to branch out into cognitive neuroscience and cognitive psychology in order get insight from those fields about how adults learn in general and to tap into techniques that neuroscientists use to actually look at the processes in the brain,” she explained.

LAS student and study participant Christian Alvarado gets fitted with electrode cap. 

One of the neuroscience techniques is a cap studded with electrodes that allows Morgan-Short to detect ERPs (Event Related Potentials), which are electrophysiological signals measured from the scalp that reflect brain processes. ERPs can be used as indicators of how the brain is responding to learning—for example, past tense in English or new vocabulary.

“The question of grammar-based versus immersion-type teaching is centrally what my studies are still trying to determine,” said Morgan-Short. For a recent study, she and her team created an artificial second language that is “consistent with a real language and affords complete control over aspects of the language such as the pronunciation of the words so that study participants can focus on learning the vocabulary and grammar.

“There are some interesting results: The group that learned the artificial language with grammatical explanation learned it with approximately 90% proficiency rates. The immersion-based technique group learned it just as well, but also showed brain responses similar to what native speakers show when using their language of origin.”

Alvarado in electrode cap.

“There are several different kinds of cognitive abilities. It has been suggested that IQ plays a role in second-language acquisition. That appears to explain language learning at low levels of proficiency, but not higher levels of proficiency; IQ does not seem to predict who becomes fluent with ease. Some people have looked at working memory—the ability to hold and process information in your mind. We look at and measure both of those. We also measure declarative memory—the ability to remember new facts—and procedural memory—the ability to pick up sequences and patterns. Basically, declarative memory is knowledge about what and procedural memory is knowledge about how. Recent models have suggested that declarative memory and procedural memory play a role in language both in native speakers and second-language learners.

“Ultimately the larger theoretical goal is to learn how the mind works. But the research has more immediate, real-world applications. While it would be impractical to implement in a classroom, you could collaborate with computer scientists to develop computer applications in which you screen for the learning-style profile and then go through instruction type A or B on the computer exercises, providing students with customized learning tools to enhance their classroom experience.”

While second-language fluency is a wonderful personal enhancement that increases one’s ability to fully experience literatures, cultures and world travel, Morgan-Short emphasizes the importance of language skills in the business and political arenas. “A friend in bank financing is learning French because he works with the French financial system and he needs to have proficiency to do his job better. If you could customize the learning process it would be far more efficient, particularly for busy adults with career-specific goals,” she said. “There’s a statistic out from the state department that only a fourth of those in the Foreign Service really have adequate proficiency to do their job. Language is the portal to understanding other cultures. In order for the U.S. to do the best work we can in international relations, we are going to have to learn to communicate. Hopefully this research will contribute to those efforts.”

http://atlas.las.uic.edu/atlas/2012/7/unraveling-the-mystery-of-language-aquisition