CSD 308: Language and Speech Development
Fall, 2013, MW 1:00-2:15
Kamhi (agkamhi@uncg.edu)
Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of the class, students will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Demonstrate knowledge about the social, biological, perceptual, and cognitive bases of language.
Demonstrate knowledge about speech and language development in preschool and school-age children
Describe the different theories of language acquisition---how nature and nurture impact children’s
development of speech and language
Demonstrate knowledge of dialectal variations and second language learning.
Calculate MLU and identify a preschool child’s language stage.
Schedule of Events
Topic
Readings
August
19 Language development video
Zimbardo (Discovering Psychology-2006)
21 Defining language
26
Owens, Ch. 1
Wikipedia (language/natural language)
28 Biological Bases
Owens, Ch. 4
Pinker, Chs. 1, 2, 10
http://www.duke.edu/~pk10/language/neuro.htm
September
2 Labor Day
4 Social-Cultural Bases
Motherese
Owens, Ch. 7
Bates/Tomasello (Google-social bases)
9 Early Communicative Behaviors
Owens, Ch. 6
11 Cognitive Bases
16
Owens, Ch. 5
Pinker, Ch. 3
Wikipedia (cognitive development/Piaget)
18 Perceptual Bases
Wikipedia (speech perception)
23 Review
25 Exam 1
30 Prelinguistic Vocalizations
Owens, Ch. 3
Wikipedia (phonological development)
http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/language_development.shtml
October
2 Phonological Development
Owens, (end of Ch. 10)
Pinker, Ch. 6
7 First Words
9
Owens, Ch. 8
14 Fall Break
16 Combining Meanings
Owens, Ch. 8
21 Grammatical Morphemes
23
Owens, Ch. 10
28 Review
30 Exam 2
November
4 Preschool Syntactic Development
Owens, Ch. 10
6 Project Day (bring samples to class)
11 Pragmatic development-nonverbal
Owens, Ch. 9 & 11
13 Pragmatic development-- conversational acts
18 Pragmatic development—listener sensitivity
20 Language development in the school years
Reading development
Owens, Ch. 12
Owens, Ch. 12
25 Production and Comprehension
27 Project day (optional)
December
2 Language diversity/Review
Recommended Texts
Owens, R. (2012). Language development (8th Ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Owens, Ch. 13
Pinker, S. (1994). The Language Instinct. New York: Morrow.
Course Requirements
1. 3 exams (70%)
2. Three article reviews and reactions. Read a research or review journal article or “approved” book chapter.
Summarize the article in 1-2 pages and have a least one paragraph that attempts to integrate information with
class discussion, the relevant chapter in your text (Owens), and provides some reaction to the information. Due
dates are listed below for each topic. (10%)
Group A: Biological bases, 9/4, phonological development, 10/7, pragmatics--nonverbal aspects, 11/13
Group B: Socio-cultural bases, 9/11, first words, 10/16, pragmatics--conversational acts, 11/18
Group C: Cognitive bases, 9/18, combining meanings/morphemes, 10/28, pragmatics--listener sensitivity, 11/20
2. Language analyses or research paper. (Transcribed sample with MLU due 10/2; Final project and papers are due
on 12/2)
A. Language sample analyses (see attached). If you get your own child, you can work with another student. If
you use the transcripts on Blackboard, you need to analyze and compare two of the samples. These samples are
rather long; choose 75 utterances from each sample to analyze. (20%)
B. 8-10 page research paper on a topic of your choice. Papers must include citations from at least 8 research
articles from peer reviewed journals. Papers should follow APA format. If you choose to write a paper, let
me know by mid-October what the topic is, and we can discuss possible references sources. (20%)
3. 6-8 page book report (recommended for 2nd degree students) (due on 12/2)
A. Book Review: Format: Begin by providing a 1-2 page overview of the main points in the book, then
provide some more detailed discussion of 2-3 chapters in the book. Read at least 2 journal articles cited by
the authors. Conclude the paper with a paragraph or two about your reaction/impressions of the information
and future directions for research. Use APA format to write paper and cite references. (This assignment is
optional, but I strongly suggest that all 2nd degree students do it.)
Recommended books: Christine Keneally’s The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language
Steven Pinker--- The Language Instinct or The Stuff of Thought, Guy Deutscher, Through the Looking
Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages. Any book by Deborah Tannen. Previous
students have loved You’re Wearing That?
B. Read Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking by M. Neil Browne and Stuart Keeley (2007).
Provide a summary of each of the 14 chapters and discuss what you learned from each chapter and how you
might use this knowledge in the future.
4. Class spirit (X factor)
5. Students taking the class for graduate credit or Honors need to do the language analysis and a book report.
Course Policies
1.
Blackboard. There will be a Blackboard account for this course. http://webcourses.niu.edu Your user name
is your Z-ID. Your password is your NIU email password. Once in the course, go to tools/personal
information. Edit personal information to include the email address you would like to use for the course.
Email is a preferred form of communication for quick questions. The distribution list through Blackboard
also enables me to distribute announcements or responses to FAQs (frequently asked questions) to the entire
class as needed.
2.
Office Hours. I do not have set office hours. Students wishing to see me can either make an appointment
after class or by email. Students are welcome to stop by without an appointment (Ferguson 310).
2.
Professional Conduct: The Department expects you to demonstrate professional conduct and respect for
your peers at all times. Come to class on time. Turn off your cell phones before class begins. Be prepared
for class (and don’t use this class to prepare for other responsibilities). Create a positive learning
atmosphere; excessive talking makes it difficult for me to lecture and disrupts your peers. If I am concerned
about your professionalism, I will speak to you outside class.
3.
Accommodations. If you have a documented disability and you require academic accommodations for this
course, please make an appointment to discuss your needs with me during the first two weeks of classes so
that your learning needs can be appropriately met.
4.
Academic Integrity. “Good academic work must be based on honesty. The attempt of any student to
present as his or her own work that which he or she has not produced is regarded by the faculty and
administration as a serious offense.” Source: UNCG Undergraduate Catalog. At UNCG, cheating is a
violation of the Student Judicial Code, defined as Academic Misconduct: Academic Misconduct: Receipt
or transmission of unauthorized aid on assignments or examinations, plagiarism, unauthorized use of
examination materials, or other forms of dishonesty in academic matters. Academic misconduct will not
be tolerated. In cases of academic misconduct, students will receive a 0 for that assignment or exam.
5.
Plagiarism. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. To plagiarize is "to steal or pass off (the ideas or
words of another) as one's own" (Webster’s 9th edition). The Department of Communication Sciences and
Disorders expects its faculty and students to give proper credit to other people through the use of proper
citation. Our department follows the citation standards of the American Psychological Association (APA)
Style Manual. If you have ANY questions about how to properly cite the work of others, consult this
manual and ask me for clarification as needed! A student who plagiarizes another person’s work, in whole
or in part will receive a 0 for that assignment.
6.
Due Dates, Tragic Events, Illness, and Exams. All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date
provided. Late assignments (related to unexcused absences) will receive a 0. In the case of a tragic event or
an illness documented by a physician, a student may take a make-up exam; however, the student must
present written documentation of the illness from a physician. If a student cannot complete the final exam
due to an illness, the student will receive an incomplete for the course until all requirements are completed.
7.
Special Circumstances. If you have a documented disability that may have some impact on your work in this
class and for which you may require accommodations, please see me during the first week of classes so that
such accommodations may be arranged immediately.
Language Development Project Guidelines
Obtain a language sample from a normally developing child between 2;6 and 6;0 years. The sample should consist
of approximately 75 spontaneous utterances. Transcribe all child and adult utterances. Type adult utterances in
capital letters. Child utterances are typed in lower case letters except the first letter of the sentence. Double-space
throughout transcription. Number all child utterances, even the ones that are excluded from the MLU computation.
Do not number adult utterances. Utterances are transcribed on the left side of the page. Contextual notes and
glosses are placed on the right side. At the top of the page be sure to put information about the child (e.g., age,
birthdate, sex), the setting (home, school), participants, time of day, and materials (kinds of toys, books). Calculate
MLU according to handout.
Guidelines for the Language Analyses
A. Semantics
1. Expressive vocabulary- make some comments about child's vocabulary usage. One way to do this is to
describe the child's use of nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives. Does the child use a lot of
different verbs, adjectives, and adverbs? Is the child's vocabulary very concrete or are there
examples of abstract concepts?
3. For school-age children: Consider child's use of figurative language (metaphors, idioms, sarcasm, etc.)
4. Summarize child's semantic development.
B. Morphology and Word Classes
1. Grammatical Morphemes- indicate which morphemes are used correctly, inconsistently, or not at all.
Provide examples of use.
2. Word Classes: make some comments about use of pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and negatives.
C. Syntax
1. Provide examples of utterances from your sample for the various phrase and clause structures used by
your child (e.g., examples should be provided of object clauses, adverbials, and conjoined
sentences for children at Stage IV and beyond).
2. What stage or language level best characterizes the child’s speech?
3. What is the most advanced language structure?
D. Pragmatics
1. Make some comments about child’s ability to initiate turns, ask and respond to queries, request
clarification and make repairs.
2. Is the child a good communicator?
E. General Summary
Summarize child's language development by comparing and contrasting child language across the various
domains of language.