Chapter 9:
Language and Communication
Chapter 9: Language and
Communication
Chapter 9 has four modules:
Module 9.1 The Road to Speech
Module 9.2 Learning the Meanings of Words
Module 9.3 Speaking in Sentences
Module 9.4 Using Language to Communicate
The Road to Speech
Elements of Language
Perceiving Speech
First Steps to Speech
Module 9.1 The Road
to Speech
• What are the basic
sounds of speech, and
how well can infants
distinguish them?
• How does infant-directed
speech help children
learn about language?
• What is babbling, and
how does it become more
complex in older infants?
Module 9.2
Learning the
Meanings of
Words
Module 9.3
Speaking in
Sentences
Elements of Language
Language
Phonology
Semantics
Grammar
Syntax
Pragmatics
Let’s take a minute to define each of these elements.
Perceiving Speech
•
Young babies can hear phonemes, even
those not in their language
•
Infants can identify individual words
•
Adults use infant-directed speech
First Steps to Speech
2
months:
cooing
6
months:
babbling
8 to 11
months:
babbling
includes
intonation
1 year:
first words
appear
Learning the Meaning of Words
Understanding Words as Symbols
Fast Mapping Meanings to Words
Individual Differences in Word Learning
Encouraging Word Learning
Beyond Words: Other Symbols
Module 9.2
Learning the
Meanings of Words
How do children
make the transition
from babbling to
talking?
Module 9.1 The Road
to Speech
What different styles
of language learning
do young children
use?
What rules do
children follow to
learn new words?
What conditions
foster children’s
learning of new
words?
Module 9.3 Speaking
in Sentences
Understanding Words as
Symbols
•
Infants understand that words are symbols
•
Gestures are symbols that children start to
use around the time they begin to talk
Fast Mapping Meanings to
Words
•
Fast mapping
•
Word meanings
•
Common naming errors
Individual Differences in Word
Learning
Causes
• Language environment and phonological
memory
• Different styles of learning language:
referential and expressive
Individual Differences in Word
Learning
•
Referential style: vocabularies consist
mainly of words that name objects, persons,
or actions
•
Expressive style: vocabularies include
many social phrases that are used as single
words
Can you give examples of how children use
each style?
Encouraging Word Learning
Speak frequently, but with not at children
Name objects that are the
focus of child’s attention
Use speech that uses different words
and is grammatically sophisticated
Respond
promptly to child
Read books and ask
children questions
Impact of Video
Viewing statistics
• Infants: 1 hr. daily
• Preschoolers: 2+ hrs. daily
Impact on work learning
• Dependent on content
• Influenced when adults view with children
True or False?
Intellectually geared videos are not effective
before the age of 18 months.
Beyond Words: Other Symbols
Children learn other symbol systems as they
grow, such as pictures and scale models
• 18 months: understand photos are
representations of objects
• 3 years: understand relation between scale
models and represented objects
• After 3 years: other symbolic forms learned
Speaking in Sentences
From Two-Word Speech to Complex
Sentences
How Do Children Acquire Grammar?
Module 9.3
Speaking in
Sentences
Module 9.1 The Road to
Speech
Module 9.2
Learning the
Meanings of
Words
• How do
children
progress from
speaking
single words to
complicated
sentences?
• How do
children
acquire the
grammar of
their native
language?
From Two-Word Speech to
Complex Sentences
Overregularization
errors
Telegraphic
speech
Grammatical
morphemes
“Wug” Stimuli
What does this tell
us about children’s
application of rules
that lead to creative
communication?
How Do Children Acquire
Grammar?
Semantic bootstrapping theory
• At birth, children know nouns usually refer to
people or objects and that verbs are actions
• With age, they use this knowledge to infer
grammatical rules
• Development of grammar is tied to
development of vocabulary
How Do Children Acquire
Grammar?
Behaviorist theory
• Development of grammar is learned through
imitation and reinforcement
How Do Children Acquire
Grammar?
Innate Grammar Mechanism theory
•
•
•
•
Specific brain region
involved in language
processing
Only humans learn
grammar
Critical period for language
learning identified
Grammar development tied
to vocabulary development
How Do Children Acquire
Grammar?
Cognitive theory
• Development of grammar is learned through
powerful cognitive skills that help shape
direction of regularities
How Do Children Acquire
Grammar?
Social-Interaction theory
• Development of language and grammar is
eclectic
• Language mastered generally and grammar
mastered specifically in social interaction
contexts
Using Language to Communicate
Taking Turns
Speaking Effectively
Listening Well
Module 9.1
The Road to
Speech
Module 9.2
Module 9.3
Speaking in
Sentences
Module 9.4 Using
Language to
Communicate
When and how do
children learn to
take turns in
conversation?
What are the skills
required to be an
effective speaker?
What is involved in
becoming a good
listener?
Taking Turns
By 2 years,
spontaneous turntaking occurs
Speaking Effectively
•
Toddlers: first conversations about
themselves
•
Preschoolers: adjust speech based on age
and needs of listener and context
•
School-age children: speak differently to
adults and peers
•
African American children: may use codeswitching
Listening Well
Preschooler Listening Skill Development
• Ambiguity difficult
• Speaker’s intention often unclear
• Confusing parent statements better believed
than classmate statements
• Understanding of non-literal meaning develops
slowly