Language

Chapter 9

Language

• A form of communication based on symbols

• Spoken, written, or signed

• Displacement quality

• Infinite generativity

Rule Systems of Language

• Phonology – sound system

• Morphology – units of meaning

• Syntax – word order & combination

• Semantics – meanings of words & sentences

• Pragmatics – appropriate use of language in context

Language Development – Infancy

Age Milestones

birth cry 2 months coo

4-6 months babble 8-12 months babble in native language

use gestures 12 months first word18-24 months from 50-200 words20-26 months 2-word combinations

Receptive & Spoken Vocabulary

• First indicated at about 8-12 months

• Exceeds spoken vocabulary• Understand about 50 words at 13 months

• First spoken word at about 10-15 months• People, toys, animals, food, body parts, greetings• Holographic phrase – “One word says it all.”

Vocabulary Spurt• 18 months speak 50 words• 24 months speak 200 words

• (start of spurt can range from 13 to 25 months)

• Over- and under-extend use of words – use them too broadly or specifically

• Around 24 months – 2-word utterances• Telegraphic speech – few or no

grammatical markers

Early Childhood Language Development

• 3-5 words to complex sentences

• Show understanding of morphology – use plurals, tense, possessives, etc.• Overgeneralize (overregularizaton)• Berko experiment using “wugs”

• Syntax – • Add “wh” words and reverse the subject-verb

order to make questions

Early Childhood Language Development

• Semantics (meanings)• 6 year vocab. Ranges from 6000-14000 words• (May be learning 22 new words per day)

• Growth of vocabulary depends upon talkativeness of mother

• Linked to SES, as is understanding of syntax

Language – Early Childhood Summary

• The average 6-year old knows 10,000 words

• They learned these by fast-mapping

• They intuitively understand plurals, past tense, word order, & show this by overregularization

• Children also know the pragmatics of language at this age.

Preparing to Read

• Print-related interactions• Read to the child• Keep books in the home• Model appropriate & correct speect• Limit TV time• Partner with teachers• Create a supportive environment

• NAEYC, 1999

Reading• Whole language –

• Reading materials should be whole and meaningful

• Recognize whole words

• Use context to guess

• Phonics• Develop automaticity in decoding words

• Blending and segmentation (syllables)

• Phonics is better for teaching reading in the early grades

Language Development

Behaviorist Perspective

Children learn language through operant conditioning. They also use imitation

Nativist Perspective

Children learn language as if they were born with a Language Acquisition Device (Noam Chomsky).

Interactionist Perspective

Progress is not immediate, but steady, gradual and rapid.

Theories of Language Development – Nativist Perspective

Language Acquisition Device

a theoretical construct, not a physical part of the brain

Nature gives children the ability to detect the rules of phonology, syntax, & semantics

Children acquire language far too easily & rapidly to have it taught to them

Language Development Theories – Behaviorist Perspective

Children learn language through operant conditioning, observaton, imitation & reinforcement.

- cannot explain creation of novel sentences

use of correct syntax not reinforced

- unique reinforcement histories would not produce orderly language

Language Development Theories – Interactionist Perspective

Children do not learn language in a social vacuum (Genie & the wild boy of Aveyron).

However, dogs don’t learn to talk.

In other words, both biology and experience must be there.