The course of language development:
A. Language
is a form of communication�whether spoken, written, or signed�that is based on a system of symbols. Language consists of the words used by a community and the rules for varying and combining them.
Infinite generativity - endless number of meaningful sente
The course of language development:
B. Formal characteristics of language
1. Phonology
2. Morphology
3. Semantics
Phonology
basic units of sound in language (phonemes), rules for combining sounds
a. Different phonologies
b. Discriminate sounds of language
c. Which phonemes can be combined
Each language uses only a subset of the sounds that humans are capable of producing, and
Morphology
rules for formation of meaningful words from sounds
a. Morpheme - smallest language unit that has meaning. In English, these rules include the rule for forming past tenses of verbs by adding -ed, and the rule for forming plurals by adding -s.
-i.Suffixes,
Semantics
rules that govern the meanings expressed in words and sentences.
Linguistic comprehension, AKA receptive language
ability to understand the speech of others/incoming language
Linguistic production, AKA productive language
use of language to communicate
comprehension proceeds production
Language milestones:
1. Crying
Language milestones: Whatever language they learn, infants all over the world follow a similar path in language development. What are some key milestones in this development?
Crying-Babies cry even at birth. Crying can signal distress, but different types
Language milestones:
2. Cooing
Babies first coo at about 1 to 2 months. These are gurgling sounds that are made in the back of the throat and usually express pleasure during interaction with the caregiver.
Language milestones:
3. Babbling
Starting around 2 or 3 months, infants start to babble�that is, they produce strings of consonant-vowel combinations, such as "ba, ba, ba, ba." They will produce all the sounds found in every language - not just sounds they hear in their native language.
Language milestones:
4. Gestures
Infants start using gestures, such as showing and pointing, at about 8 to 12 months of age. They may wave bye-bye, nod to mean "yes," and show an empty cup to want more milk.
Language milestones:
5. First words
Between about 8 and 12 months of age, infants often indicate their first understanding of words.
Language milestones:
6. Two word utterances
18-24 months; gesture, tone, and context needed to get meaning; huge range!
holophrases
Children often express various intentions with their single words, called holophrases - one-word utterance standing for whole phrases; meaning depends on context
vocabulary spurt
The infant's spoken vocabulary rapidly increases once the first word is spoken. Whereas the average 18-month-old can speak about 50 words, a 2-year-old can speak about 200 words. This rapid increase in vocabulary that begins at approximately 18 months is
Telegraphic speech
Notice that the two-word utterances omit many parts of speech and are remarkably succinct. In fact, in every language, a child's first combinations of words have this economical quality; they are telegraphic. Telegraphic speech - short, precise sentences
Overextension
Children sometimes overextend or underextend the meanings of the words they use. Overextension - applying words too broadly - calling every man "Daddy
Underextension
applying words too narrowly - only referring to neighbor as "girl
referential style
are primarily using language to label objects.
expressive style
they use language primarily to express feelings and needs. These styles reflect some cultural differences - for example, American mothers encourage labeling, whereas Japanese mothers tend to talk about feelings more.
Language development during the preschool years (1)
Children rapidly progress from two-word utterances to longer, more sophisticated expressions that reflect their growing vocabularies and emerging grasp of grammar. The development of linguistic abilities is affected by socioeconomic status. The result can
Language development during preschool years (2)
1. between late 2s and mis 3s, sentence length increases
2. syntax- proper order of words; way kids use syntax doubles each month
Language development during preschool years (3)
By age 3, children use plurals and possessive forms of nouns (boys/boy's), employ the past tense (adding -ed), use articles (the/a), and can ask and answer complex questions ("Where did you say my book is?").
By 6, the average child has a vocabulary of 14
Language development during the preschool years (4)
3. Preschoolers begin to acquire the principles of grammar, the system of rules that determine how our thoughts can be expressed. They still make some mistakes every now and then, but amazingly, their speech is grammatically correct over 90% of the time!
Language development during the preschool years (5)
Private speech and social speech
4.Private Speech and Social Speech
a) Preschoolers engage in a lot of private speech - not intended for others
b) social speech- directed towards other people
So why do they do this?
(1) Vygotsky - facilitates thinking, helps control behavior, solve problems, reflect
a. Stream of consciousness that will later be internalized
(2) Piaget - private speech is egocentric
a. Problem - they have conversations with family/peers
(3) This priva
Language development during middle childhood (1)
Mastering the mechanics of language
a) The language development of children in the school years is substantial.
Vocabulary continues to increase during the school years, as well as their understanding of grammar and syntax.
School-age children may have di
Language development during middle childhood (2)
2. Metalinguistic Awareness - understanding of one's own use of language
a) Younger children tend not to ask for clarification of ambiguous instructions, and blame themselves for misunderstanding.
b) Kids in middle childhood now know that the miscommunica
Language development during middle childhood (3)
3. How Language Promotes Self-Control
a) More likely to talk through situations, which helps control behavior
b) More likely to use language to remind themselves of things
The origins of language development:
A. Learning theory approach
One of the earliest scientific explanations of language acquisition was provided by behaviorists. They accounted for language development by means of environmental influence.
- Kids repeat what they have heard, and are rewarded
Problems:
� Doesn't explain
B. Nativist approach
there is a genetically determined, innate mechanism that that directs language development.
Linguist Noam Chomsky argued that children will never acquire the tools needed for processing an infinite number of sentences if the language acquisition mechanism
Universal Grammar
all languages in the world share similar underlying structures
language acquisition device- LAD
neural system that permits understanding of language; no determination of location
C. interactionist approach
language is produced through an interaction of innate biological predispositions, and environmental influences. Importance of social interactions
D. Infant- directed speech (aka motherese)
short, simple sentences; higher tone, careful separation of words, singsong quality
infant directed speech
changes in voice (used to be called motherese)
Strategies to enhance the child's acquisition of language
Recasting
Expanding
Labeling
Recasting
rephrasing, usually as a question
encourages child to speak continuously
Expanding
restating in a more linguistically sophisticated form
more of a correction
Labeling
identifying names of objects
How Living in Poverty Affects Language Development
Higher SES (social economic status) parents talk to their kids more than lower SES parents
The language children hear at home influences their language development.
Economic level was a significant factor in the amount of parental interactions, types of l
SES also affects the types of words parents use with their children.
� Low SES parents are more likely to issue orders/stop behaviors
� High SES parents are more likely to have conversations
� Poverty related to lower IQ scores by age 5
� Length of time spent in poverty affects outcomes
� Lower SES parents often face stres
Bilingualism: Speaking in Many Tongues
use of more than one language, can be beneficial in the school years.
a) English is a second language for more than 1 in 5 Americans and this number is increasing annually.
b) Being bilingual may have cognitive advantages.
a. Greater cognitive flexibility
bilingual education
in which children are taught in their native language, while at the same time learning English. Children who are taught all subjects in their first language with simultaneous instruction in English appear to experience few deficits and several linguistic
immersion method
in which the vast majority of instruction is given in English. This can make it much more difficult to comprehend lessons.