Language
Development
What Is Language?
 Symbolic
system
 Socially constructed
What is speech?
What is literacy?
 Ability
to construct meaning
 Ability to express meaning
Theoretical Perspectives of
Language Development

Behaviorism


Nativism


Stems from operant conditioning
Noam Chomsky – LAD language acquisition device
Interactionism



Information Processing – Use working memory and attention to
explain
Sociocultural – Social interaction and culture aid in language
development
Functionalism – Language development provides practical
benefits to children
Primary Language Specialization
Centers in the Brain
Current Understanding of
Language Development
 Biological
Primed
 Effect
component
to discriminate all phonemes
of environment
Synaptic
pruning
Imitation, infant-directed speech
 Children’s
construction of language
bootstrapping
Components of Language
 Phonology
 Semantics
 Syntax
 Pragmatics
 Lexicon
Developing Language
Infancy (Birth-12 months)
Interest in human voice
• Cooing
• Babbling
• Understanding some words
• Preverbal gestures
• Preference for sounds combinations and
syllable patterns of native language
• Babbling reflects native language
•
Developing Language
Infancy (12 - 24 months)
Use of single words
• Holophrases
• Vocabulary explosion
• 2-Word sentences
• Telegraphic speech
•
Developing Language
Early Childhood (2-6)
Fast-mapping, vocabulary growing from
200-12,000 words
•
•
Undergeneralization
• Overgeneralization
Overregularization
• 3-word sentences
• More complex sentences
• Difficulty pronouncing some phonemes
• Increasing ability to construct narratives
•
Developing Language
Middle Childhood (6-10)
•
Vocabulary increases 4x
•
Increasing understanding of language concepts
Sustained conversations about concrete topics
• Pragmatics more sophisticated
• Focus on literacy
• Linguistic creativity and word play
• Pronunciation mastered
•
Developing Language
Adolescence
Increasing awareness of the terminology used
in various academic disciplines
• Ability to understand complex, multiclause
sentences
• Emerging ability to carry on lengthy
conversations about abstract topics
• Mastery of a wide variety of connectives
• Ability to understand figurative language
•
Developing Literacy
Preschool
2-3 year olds:
Enjoys short stories
Labels objects in books
Scribbles using circles and lines
3-5 year olds
Enjoys books
Can answer questions about a story
Understands print carries a message
Pretends to read and write
Recognizes environmental print
Recognizes many letters
Developing Literacy
Preschool and Kindergarten
Excited by books and book talk
 Re-telling stories
 Phonemic awareness
 Alphabetic principle
 Print awareness
 Invented spelling
 Reading sight words

Identifying Cultural Differences in
Sociolinguistic Conventions
Characteristic
Look for
Implications
Talkativeness
•
Frequent talking, even about
trivial matters, or
• Silence unless something
important needs to be said
Don’t interpret a child’s
sudden or lengthy silence as
necessarily reflecting apathy
or intentional rudeness.
Style of
Interacting with
Adults
•
Willingness to initiate
conversations with adults, or
• Speaking to adults only when
spoken to
Keep in mind that some
children won’t tell you when
they’re confused. If you think
they may not understand,
take them aside and ask
specific questions to assess
what they have learned.
Provide additional instruction
to address any gaps in
understanding.
Identifying Cultural Differences in
Sociolinguistic Conventions
Characteristic
Look for
Implications
Eye Contact
•
Looking others in the eye when
speaking or listening to them, or
• Looking down or away in the
presence of adults
Don't assume that children
aren't paying attention just
because they don't look you
in the eye.
Personal Space
•
Standing quite close to a
conversation partner, perhaps
touching that person frequently,
or
• Keeping distance between
oneself and others when talking
with them
Give children some personal
space during one-on-one
interactions. So that they
might more effectively
interact with others, teach
them that what constitutes
personal space differs from
culture to culture.
Identifying Cultural Differences in
Sociolinguistic Conventions
Characteristic
Look for
Responses to
Questions
• Answering
Wait Time
•
Implications
questions
Be aware that some children are not
readily, or
accustomed to answering the types of
• Failure to answer very questions that adults frequently ask
during instruction. Respect children’s
easy questions
privacy when they are reluctant to answer
questions about home and family life.
Waiting several
seconds before
answering questions,
or
• Not waiting at all, and
perhaps even
interrupting others
When addressing a question to an entire
group, give children several seconds to
think before calling on one child for an
answer. When some children interrupt
regularly, establish a procedure (e.g.,
hand-raising and waiting to be called on)
to ensure that everyone has a chance to
be heard.