phonology
the sound patterns of a particular language and the rules for combining them
semantics
a particular language's system of meaning and the rules for conveying/representing meaning
syntax
the rules for combining words into sentences in a particular language
prelinguistic phase
the period before a child speaks his or her first words in which language development has already begun
birth-1 month
cry: the predominant sound (also fussing, gurgling, and satisfied sounds)
1-2 months
laughing and cooing
6-7 months
-babbling makes up about half of babies' noncrying sounds from about 6-12 months and rapidly increases; begins as including all kinds of sounds, even some not part of the language they are hearing
-delightful and easy for adults to imitate
-gradually deve
9-10 months
-babbling shifts toward set of sounds listened to with non-heard sounds dropping out
-May reflect synaptic pruning
-Gestural language develops (i.e., pointing) - first signs of expressive language
expressive language
sounds, signs, or symbols used to communicate meaning (pointing is most common among infants; gestures and sounds may also be combined)
cooing
making repetitive vowel sounds, particularly the uuu sound; develops early in the prelinguistic period, when babies are between about 1-4 months
babbling
the repetitive vocalizing of consonant-vowel combinations by an infant, typically beginning around 6 months
receptive language
comprehension of spoken language; first signs become evident around 9 or 10 months
12-13 months
1st words typically appear
definition of a "word
for a child, it can be any sound; doesn't have to be a sound that matches words adults are using
16 months
first vocabulary spurt; speaking vocabulary of 50 words; usually names for things or people
24 months
320 words; generalize new words to many situations; verbs develop slowly
underextension
use of a word for only one specific object or in a single context; most common at the earliest stages of vocabulary development, particularly before the naming explosion, which suggests that most children initially think of words as belonging to only one
overextension
the inappropriate use of a single word for a category of objects or multiple contexts; more common during naming explosion; may reflect lack of vocabulary more than inability to discriminate
fast-mapping
ability to categorically link new words to real-world referents; evident as early as 18 months, but a momentous shift in the way children approach new words happens around age 3, and they begin to pay attention to words in whole groups, and this really ap
constraint
an assumption or bias that is presumed to be built-in or learned early (a "default option") by which a child figures out what words refer to
whole object constraint
the assumption that words refer to whole objects and not to their parts or attributes.
mutual exclusivity constraint
leads children to assume that objects have only one name
principle of contrast
the assumption that every word has a different meaning, which leads a child to assume that two or more different words refer to different objects
12-18 months
first holophrases
18-24 months
f8rst tw9-word sentences
holophrase
a combination of gesture and a single word that conveys more meaning than just the word alone; often seen and heard in children between 12-18 months old
telegraphic speech
term used by Roger Brown to describe the earliest sentences created by most children, which sound a bit like telegrams because they include key nouns and verbs but generally omit all other words and grammatical inflections; also called stage 1 grammar, an
parts of speech first used
nouns, verbs, and adjectives (more nouns are typically learned more quickly)
adding inflections
not added all at once; within each language community, children seem to add these and more complex word orders in fairly predictable sequences. In English, the earliest is usually adding -ing to a verb, then perpositions (on and in), plural -s on nouns, i
questions
child puts a wh word at the beginning of a sentence, but doesn't put the auxiliary verb in the right place; rather quickly figures out correct forms
negatives
child uses no or not without proper auxiliary verb placement; rather quickly figures out correct forms and stops making these mistakes
overregularization
young children's applications of basic rules to irregular words; they initially learn a small number of irregular words (past tenses) and use them correctly for a short time; then they learn to add -ed to the end of words and overgeneralize this rule to a
complex sentences
follow inflections and negation and allow children to use conjunctions to connect two or more ideas; major strides taken during 3-4 years
pragmatics
the rules for the use of language in communicative interaction, such as the rules for taking turns and the style of speech that is appropriate for different listeners; the way in which children learn to use language/speech either to communicate or to regu
Pragmatic abilities at different ages
-18 mos. - patterns of gazing at 18 months similar to adults.
-2 yrs. - adapt the form of language to the situation they are in or the person to whom they are talking.
-4 yrs. - begin to adapt language to improve communication with their intended audience
Private speech
language used by children to help control or monitor their behavior; may consist of fragmentary sentences, muttering, or instructions to themselves, and is detectable from the earliest use of words and sentence. Vygotsky argues that this help children com
Motherese (infant-directed speech)
the simplified, higher-pitched speech that adults use with infants and young children. Adults repeat often, introduce minor variations, and use slightly more elongated sentences than the child. A baby more easily imitates a correct grammatical form that a
Chomsky
an early nativist theorist who suggests learning language is an innate ability; was especially struck by 2 phenomena: the extreme complexity of the task the child must accomplish, and the apparent similarities in the steps and stages of children's early l
MLU (mean length of utterance)
the average number of meaningful units in a sentence. Each word is one meaningful unit, as is each inflection. Frequently used by physicians, teachers, and others to identify children who need additional screening to determine whether they have some kind
phonological awareness
understanding of the rules governing the sounds of a language as well as knowledge of the connection between sounds and the way they are represented in written language. Children who are more phonologically aware at age 3, 4, and 5 learn to read much more
invented spelling
a strategy young children with good phonological awareness skills use when they write; despite errors, children who use this before receiving formal instruction in reading and writing are more likely to become good spellers and readers later in childhood.
whole language approach
an approach to reading instruction that places more emphasis on the meaning of written language than on its structure; says that most children are capable of inferring letter-sound correspondence on their own as long as they have enough exposure to print.
balanced approach
reading instruction that combines explicit phonics instruction with other strategies for helping children acquire literacy
systematic and explicit phonics
planned, specific instruction in sound-letter correspondences
becoming literate in school
later reading success is promoted by learning about meaningful word parts (prefixes and suffixes) and instruction in comprehension strategies (identifying the purpose of a particular text)
Poor readers
have problems with sound-letter combinations; curriculum flexibility is needed; without enrichment, poor readers do not catch up to their peers
English-language learners (ELLs)
school children who do not speak English well enough to function in English-only classes
bilingual education
as practiced in the U.S., a school program for students who are not proficient in English in which instruction in basic subject matter is given in the children's native language during the first 2 or 3 years of schooling, with a gradual transition to full
structured immersion
an alternative to traditional bilingual education used in classrooms in which all children speak the same non-English native language. All basic instruction is in English, paced so that the children can comprehend, with the teacher translating only when a
English-as-a-second-language (ESL)
an alternative to bilingual education; children who are not proficient in English attend academic classes taught entirely in English but then spend several hours in a separate class to receive English-language instruction; most common in U.S.
submersion
an approach to education of non-English-speaking students in which they are assigned to a classroom where instruction is given in English and are given no supplemental language assistance; aka "sink or swim" approach