Reading would not exist without the human capacity for language.

Because the components of language

and their associated terminology align With our demarcations for many of the elements of reading, they
are Described briefly in this section. Linguists have identified five basic Components (phonology,
morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics) Found across languages.1 Language acquisition
progresses across these Components with increasing quantity (e.g., sounds, words, and sentence

Length) and gradual refinement, and understanding of the subtler and more

Complex points of usage (e.g., using “taught” rather than “teached”). Readers

Are encouraged to explore the literature in the field of language development

To better understand and appreciate the oral language skills students may

Bring to the reading process. Speech and language pathologists are a great

Resource for identifying resources in this area and assisting in determining

Whether a child’s language skills are developing normally and providing

Support when assessment and intervention may be required.

Phonology

The study of speech structure within a language, including both the

Patterns of basic speech units and the accepted rules of pronunciation, is

Known as phonology.2 The smallest units of sound that make up a language

Are called phonemes. For example, the word “that” contains three phonemes
The “th” represents one phoneme /th/, the “a” maps to the short a sound /ă/,

And the “t” to its basic sound /t/.

Morphology

Moving to the next level of language, we find the study of the smallest

Units of meaning, morphemes. Morphemes include base words, such as “hat,”

“dog,” or “love,” as well as affixes, such as “un-,” “re-,” the plural “s” or “es,”

And the past tense “ed.” Knowledge of the morphology of our language is

Critical to vocabulary development and reflects the smallest building blocks

For comprehension.

Syntax

The study of how individual words and their most basic meaningful

Units are combined to create sentences is known as syntax. As words are

Grouped together when we communicate, we must follow the rules of

Grammar for our language, in other words, its syntax. It is the knowledge of

Syntax that allows us to recognize that the following two sentences, while
Containing different word order and levels of complexity, have the same

Meaning.

 The boy hit the ball.

 The ball was hit by the boy.

Syntax also allows us to accept “I went to the store” as a meaningful

(grammatical) sentence while “To store went I” would not be acceptable

English.

Semantics

Not only does the grammatical structure of our language provide the

Needed clues for understanding, we also have a wealth of figurative language

And rich description that adds color and nuance to our communication.

Semantics refers to the ways in which a language conveys meaning.3 It is our

Understanding of semantics that allows us to recognize that someone who is

“green with envy” has not changed hue, or that “having cold feet” has less to
Do with the appendage at the end of our legs and more to do with our anxiety

About a new experience. Because semantics moves beyond the literal meaning

Of words and is culture-dependent, this is among the most difficult aspects of

Language for individuals who are not native speakers and even those who

Speak the same language but come from different cultures and convey

Meaning using words in unique ways. Anyone who has attempted to converse

With a teenager in his own vernacular can appreciate the importance of

Sharing a semantic base for communicating clearly.

Pragmatics

“‘Pragmatics’ refers to the ways the members of the speech community

Achieve their goals using language.”4 The way we speak to our parents is not

The same as the way we interact with a sibling, for example. The language

Used in a formal speech may bear little resemblance to what we would hear

At a lunch with five friends. The conversational style of day-to-day

Interactions is quite different from the language used even when reading a storybook to a toddler.
Knowing the difference and when to use which style is

The essence of pragmatics.

Facility with language is critical to social interactions. Our ability to

Effectively communicate with others through spoken and written language is

Considered one of the ultimate goals of our educational system, with reading

Receiving much-needed emphasis. “Reading is essential to success in our

Society. The ability to read is highly valued and important for social and

Economic advancement.”

Effective and powerful instruction from knowledgeable teachers

Is the key to successful early reading achievement. Balanced

Instruction providing all children with opportunities to master

Concepts of print, learn the alphabetic principle, acquire word

Recognition skills, develop phonemic awareness, engage in and

Sustain an interest in reading, and experience a wide range of

Materials in the context of developmentally appropriate

Instruction continues to be the major deterrent against reading

Failure (Adams, 1990; Hiebert, Pearson, Taylor, Richardson, &

Paris, 1998; Snow et al., 1998).6

Importance of the 5 Domains of Language

Why is it important that we know about these 5 domains? These domains of language cover much of
what we (speech-language pathologists [SLPs]) target in language-based therapy and the evidence-
based approaches behind our decision-making. They include how language delays/disorders are defined
and diagnosed. They also indicate how we write different types of goals to address a variety of skills.
When creating goals or giving diagnoses, we examine how an individual uses the different domains of
language, and how that differs from what may be expected. Each of these domains offers different
meanings and contributes to language in different ways.

Phonology

The rules of speech sounds. Phonology governs how phonemes (i.e., distinct units of sounds that can
affect meaning) are used in a language system, such as the rules and combinations for using phonemes.
Phonemes are individual sounds, like /b/ and /h/ in the words bat and hat. These two words differ
simply because of the initial phonemes /b/ and /h/. The remainder of each word sounds exactly the
same, though the smallest units (phonemes) at the beginning of the word can alter their meanings
entirely. The word “dogs” has four phonemes: d, o, g, and s. A phoneme does not have meaning by
itself, but combinations of phonemes do.

Morphology

The rules of word structure. Morphology governs how morphemes (i.e., the smallest meaningful units of
language) are used in the language system. Morphemes are used to form words and each morpheme
differs from another (aka they all serve different meanings). They cannot be broken into smaller units or
else they will lose their meaning. Usually, we divide morphemes into two different types: free and
bound. Free morphemes can stand alone as their own word (e.g., dog, the) and bound morphemes
require another morpheme to make up a word, as they cannot occur alone (e.g., -er, -s). The word
“dogs” has two morphemes: dog and -s. They differ from phonemes because they do have meanings by
themselves.

Syntax

The rules of sentence structure. Many individuals use the words syntax and grammar synonymously.
Syntax involves the particular arrangement of words in a sentence, the structure of a sentence, and the
rules that correspond to the way that words are ordered into a sentence. Syntax rules are often different
depending on the language. For example, let’s compare the syntactic structure of two sentences with
the same meaning: one in English and one in Spanish.

English: “I have a black (adjective) dog (noun).”

Spanish: “Tengo un perro (noun) negro (adjective).”

Both sentences deliver the same exact meaning; however, the syntax of each sentence is slightly
different for each language. In the English sentence, syntax indicates that the adjective precedes the
noun, but in the Spanish sentence, syntax indicates the noun precedes the adjective. There are many
other components of syntax, including the use of articles “a” and “un” in the sentences above.

Semantics

The rules relating to the meaning of language; the actual meaning behind each word within a sentence
within a message. You can also look at semantics like a person’s vocabulary (or lexicon) that they may
use. Vocabulary development is important and expands as an individual develops their language system.
Early vocabulary knowledge typically relates to nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Some important more
advanced vocabulary knowledge includes concepts such as synonyms, antonyms, and figurative
language (e.g., metaphors and idioms). Figurative language, for example, can also drastically change
depending on the language being spoken. When translated into another language, idioms (e.g., couch
potato), are typically not transferable and only applicable to the language in which they were
developed.

Pragmatics

The rules of language that occur within social situations. There are numerous pragmatic language skills
that we take into consideration when we interact with others, such as asking for clarification and
understanding different perspectives. The function of language is also an important aspect to consider
when it comes to pragmatic language, as compared to the structure of it. Because when we think of
pragmatics, we think of how we are actually using language in context (e.g., the function of it). For
example, some common language functions include protesting (e.g., “I don’t want that!”), commenting
(e.g., “Cool shirt!”), and labeling (e.g., “That’s a dog.”).

*It is important to note that “typical pragmatic language” looks different across different cultures and
individuals. Someone who who doesn’t use the same pragmatic language as another person isn’t
necessarily “wrong” or “impaired.”
All of these components work together to create our language system and they all play a significant role
in a child’s development of language. It is also important to note (like when referencing syntax) that
even though we see these language domains in other spoken languages, the rules that fall within these
domains can differ drastically. Our understanding of language could not exist without these domains and
they serve as the foundation for other higher-order language skills. They are continually evolving and
essential for effective communication and human interaction.