Reported by Tanya L.

Capuli

LANGUAGE March 25, 2023

PY 207 Advance

DEVELOPMENT Developmental Psychology

Language Definition

Modern linguistics, summarized by Carroll (1973:289) teaches that a language is a structured system of arbitrary vocal sounds and sequences of sounds
which is used in interpersonal communication, and which rather exhaustively catalogs the things, events, and processes of human experience.

From the social scientists’ point of view, language is an open system interacting with, changed by, and changing its environment as part of culture. The
humanness of language and its place in human society is one of the most necessary and complex of all social skills.

The transformationalists spearheaded by Chomsky view language as a system which relates meanings to substance. Language is a mental phenomenon. It is
innate. Man has the genetically imparted ability for language learning.

Language is a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures or marks having understood
meanings. (Websters New International Dictionary of the English Language 1961:1270).

Language is any set or system of linguistic symbols as used in a more or less uniform fashion by a number of people who are thus enabled to communicate
intelligibly with one another (Random House Dictionary of the English Language 1966:806).

Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication (Wardhaugh 1972:806).

Language is a system of arbitrary, vocal symbols which permit all people in a given culture, or other people who have learned the system of that culture to
communicate or to interact (Finocchiaro 1964:8)
 Language is used for communication.

Language is essentially human, although possibly not

limited to humans.

According Language is a set of arbitrary symbols.

to Orillos Those symbols are primarily vocal but may also be

visual.

(1998) The symbols have conventionalized meanings to which

they refer.

Language is systematic and generative.

Language operates in a speech community or culture.

 1. Phonology
- The sound system of a language.
- A phoneme is the smallest sound unit in a
language.

2. Morphology
- The system of meaningful units involved in
word formation.
- Two types: Free morpheme and bound

Language’s morpheme

3. Syntax

Rule - Involves the way words are combined to form

acceptable phrases and sentences (Langacker,
2017; Ngarog, 2017)

Systems 4. Semantics
- Refers to the meaning of words and sentences.
- What do you think is the meaning of this
sentence?
“The shooting of hunters occurred at
dawn.”

5. Pragmatics

- This refers to the appropriate use of language

in different context.
- Communicative competence
Functions of Language
(According to Michael A.K. Halliday)
1. Instrumental
2. Regulatory
3. Representational
4. Interactional
5. Personal
6. Heuristic
7. Imaginative
Functions of Language
(According to Roman Jakobson)
1. Cognitive or Referential
2. Conative
3. Emotive
4. Phatic
5. Metalingual
6. Poetic
Functions of Language
(According to U.P. Robinson)
1. Aesthetic
2. Ludic
3. Regulation of Encounters and Human Relations
4. Regulation of others
5. Regulation of Self
6. Self-expression
7. Marking social roles
8. Reference to Non-linguistic World
9. Instruction and Teaching
10. Enquiring and Speculation
Theories of
Language
1. Nativist Theory
✓ Noam Chomsky
✓ Language Acquisition Device
✓ Universal Grammar
✓ Syntax and Morphology
Theories of
Language
2. Cognitive development Theory
✓ Jean Piaget (1955)
✓ The emphasis of this perspective is
that language is acquired as
maturation and cognitive
competencies develop.
✓ A child learns language using the
same mechanisms as for other
learning.
✓ Semantics and Morphology
Theories 3. Behaviorist Theory
✓ Leonard Bloomfield, B.F. Skinner

of ✓ Emphasizes the role of “nurture”

✓ Language is acquired behavior through

Language
conditioning and reinforcement
 4. Interactionist Theory

Theories
✓ Vygotsky, Dell Hymes, Michael, A.K.
Halliday
✓ Emphasis is on the primary role of

of
sociocultural interaction
✓ Children learns the language through
their attempts to communicate to the

Language
world around them.
✓ Joint attention and turn taking
✓ Semantic and Pragmatic
 First Language (Native
First Language, mother tongue,
primary language, stronger
Language language, source language)
and Second
Second Language (Non-native
Language language, foreign language,
Acquisition secondary language, weaker
language, target language)
LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
DEVELOPMENTAL
MILESTONES

Receptive Language refers to

comprehension of gestures and
words.
Expressive Language refers
to a child’s production of
language to communicate.
Infancy
o At 0-6 months, they know their maternal language. They also can distinguish
their own language from others. They notice changes in sounds, no matter
what syllable or language they are. At 6 months, they are already receptive to
vowels, and consonants at 9 months
o At 6 months onwards, they are also becoming more adept in terms of
segmentation skills. Instead of hearing a stream of sounds, they can already
understand that groups of sounds form into words. They understand the
boundaries of sounds.
o It is also at this point that they get to understand that certain words refer to an
item they regularly see. i.e. “bear stuff toy” to the word “bear”
o Statistical Learning – regularities in the infant’s world to learn is important
Infancy
o Babbling and other vocalization
▪ Crying – present at birth, usually signals distress.
▪ Cooing – starts at 2-4 months; gurgling sounds at the back of the throat;
expresses pleasure with caregiver during interaction
▪ Babbling – mid-first year. Pronouncing a string of syllables, usually
consonant-vowel combination.
o Gestures happen from 7-15 months of age. This includes nodding, waving
bye-bye, pointing, and showing empty bottle for more milk.
o Pointing is a social aspect of language. It progresses to pointing without
looking at adult gaze, then to pointing and looking back and forth to adult and
the object.
Infancy
o First Words. At 5 months, they recognize their names. They understand
about 50 words by 13 months but can’t say them until 18 months. This tells
us that receptive skills come first.
o Vocabulary Spurt at 18 months. This is the rapid increase in vocabulary.
o Overextension and Underextension of words.
o Two word utterances by 18-24 months. To convey meaning, the child starts
relying on gesture, tone and context.
Early Childhood
o Toddlers move very quickly from two word utterances to three, four and five word
combinations.
o By 2-3 years of age, they transition from saying simple to complex sentences.
o Phonology. By age 3, they can produce all the vowels and most consonant
sounds.
o Morphology. They begin using plural forms, possessive forms, articles and verb
tenses, and they understand them.
o Overgeneralization of morphologic rules can be observed. i.e. “foots” (as their
perception of more than one foot) and “goed” (to mean went).
o Syntax. Preschoolers also at this stage learn and apply the rules of syntax. And
from here, their mastery of complex grammar rules continue.
Early Childhood
o Semantics. Fast growing vocabulary that may be attributed to fast mapping.
o Pragmatics. Knowledge in pragmatics develops as they begin to engage in
extended discourse. As they get more exposed to varied settings, they begin to
learn more about social rules that may be culturally or setting specific.
o Emergent Literacy
▪ Whole Language Approach
▪ Print rich environment
▪ Interactive reading
▪ Phonological awareness activities
Middle to Late Childhood
o Increase ability to talk about and perceive concepts that are complex and
abstract in nature.
o Vocabulary. Better categorization of words. The vocabulary increases to about
40,000 by age 11.
o Grammar. School age can understand longer and complex sentences such as
those with relative clauses. “The kid called the girl who ran to the park.” They
understand rules involving comparisons. (shorter, higher)
o Metalingustic Awareness. This means, “To think about their language,
understand what words are, and even define them” (Berko Gleason, 2009)
o Literacy Skills (phonological awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, listening
and reading comprehension, spelling and written expression)
▪ Up to third grade: Learning to Read
▪ Fourth grade onwards: Reading to Learn
o Bilingual Education
Adolescence to Adulthood
o Language development after age 20 is far more subtle already to observe.
o Skills in pragmatic knowledge may continue to increase but dependent on
factors like gender, social class, and education.
o As one move into adulthood, the direction (in terms of career, for instance) one
gets to pursue or the movement/joining to other cultures (as in the case of
migrating and learning the target language) affect further language development.
o Motivation is also a big factor in learning second language in adolescence to
adulthood
Adolescence to Adulthood
o Native like proficiency of target language may also be far more difficult than
when learning it before 10 to 12 years of age. However, it is easier to learn the
vocabulary words and grammar rules at this point, and that is because of better
cognitive functioning.
o In adulthood, changes in language and communication skills may also happen
due to brain injuries.
• Aphasia
• Right hemisphere damage
Adolescence to Adulthood
o Certain language changes are obvious in late adulthood, and this maybe due to
brain changes.
• Changes/Decline in cognitive functions (memory, attention, word retrieval,
speed of processing, inhibition, working memory) → Language
comprehension is affected; Speech rate
• Hearing loss in old age
• Dementia
• Alzheimer’s disease
 Other Hearing Impaired

Language
Related Developmental
Issues disabilities (IDD, ASD,
Specific Language
Impairment)
References:
• Gleason, J.B. (2005). The development of language. Pearson Education:USA
• Lust, B.C. (2006) Child language acquisition and growth. Cambridge University
Press
• Orillos, L. Q. (1998). Language acquisition theories, principles, and research.
Quezon City: UPOU.
• Santrock, J. W. (2019b). Life-span development. McGraw-Hill Higher Education
THANK YOU!