Chapter 10: Language

Development
What is Language?
a form of communication—spoken, written, signed— based on a system of
symbols.

consist of rules for varying and combining them

All human languages share infinitive generativity and organizational skills

(rules).

Language is a Rule Systems

Phonology: Sound patterns in language

Phonemes: basic unit of sound that creates differences in meaning (hat

and cat)

Morphology: Formation of words.

"un-" + "happy" = "unhappy”

not all morphemes can stand alone as complete words, like "un-" and "-
ness”

Semantics: Meaning of words and sentences.

Syntax: Word order of language. “The dog chased the cat” versus “The cat
chased the dog.”

Pragmatics: the appropriate use of language in different contexts.

Q: “Do you like my hair”? A: “I like your shoes”?

How Language Develops: Infancy

Early vocalizations are used to practice making sounds, communicating, and
attracting attention.

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 crying

cooing

babbling

Gestures are used at about 8 - 12 months

showing and pointing

pointing is considered an important social aspect of language

Infants can distinctions among the sounds of language

early ability: differentiate baba mama

Cross-linguistic differences occur in learning (multilingual)

Children often overextend or underextend the meanings of words

overextension (too general) : all four-legged animals are dogs

underextension (too narrow) : the word ‘car’ is only used on the family’s
car but not for other cars on the road

Two-word messages at around 18-24 months

rely on gesture, tone and contect to convey meaning

location: book there; identification: see doggie

Telegraphic Speech: use of short and precise words without grammatical

markers

“me want ball”

How Language Develops: Early Childhood

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 3,4,5 word combinations

Oddities often sound like mistakes to adults (spoon—poon)

language problems such as speech and hearing

Preschool Years
more sensitive to sounds of spoken words

start to demonstrate knowledge of morphology rules

singular/plural

learn and apply rules of syntax

expand in vocabulary

fast mapping: make a connection between a new word and its meaning after
only a brief exposure to the word.

6 key principles in vocab development

frequent exposure

personal interest

responsive and interactive learning

meaningful context

show the action of pouring when teaching the word.

clear information

grammar and vocabulary integration

run and running

Advance in Pragmatics
Extended Discourse and Cultural Rules:

Children start engaging in longer conversations and begin to understand

the culturally specific rules of conversation and politeness.

saying the “magical words”

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 Change language and tone depending on the situation or people.

Use simpler language when speaking to a younger sibling.

Talking About Absent Objects or Events:

“i went to the zoo last week” or “i am going to his birthday party tomorrow”

Adjusting Speech Style:

Around the ages of 4 to 5, children learn to modify their speech style to fit
the situation.

Using a softer voice in a library

How Language Develops: Early-Childhood Literacy

Building on Oral Language

when teaching about reading and writing, start with what they already
know from speaking and listening

physical activity: clapping to the syllables in words

supportive environment: encouragement (NOT GOOD FOR YOU)

Phonological Awareness

ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in words

dyslexia

Use Books for Communication Skills

Strategies:

use books to start conversations

ask what and why questions

encourage children to ask questions about the stories

books that play with language (rhyme, poem)

How Language Develops: Middle and Late Childhood

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 Mental Vocabulary Organization

talk about things that are not physically happening

Vocabulary and Grammar Advancement

more complex vocab and grammar

develop metalinguistic awareness—knowledge about language

Improved Pragmatic Skills

Reading in Middle and Late Childhood

Phonics Approach: basic rules for reading

Whole-Language Approach: use words in sentence and based on the context

guess the word meaning

Writing in Middle and Late Childhood

Motor Skills and Spelling

spell words based on what they hear

writing needs practice

Bilingualism and Second-Language Learning

Sensitive periods

the older you get, the more difficult to learn a language

Ability to pronounce words with native-like accent decreases with age

How Language Develops: Adolescence

Advanced Language Skills

use more complex language features like metaphor and satire

Better Reading and Writing Skills

Peer Language

slangs and dialects (SLAYYYYYYY)

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 Biological Influences
Two main regions in the human brain

Broca’s Area: speech production and grammatical process

Wernick’s Area: language comprehension

Damage to either area produces aphasia, loss or impairment of language

processing.

that one person we know has aphasia

Noam Chomsky— Chomp Chomp 🐊

human are born with language acquisition device (LAD), detection of certain
features and rules of language

Environmental Influences
Environmental Factors:

surround with people who speaks Hokkien, you also learn how to speak
hokkien

Child-Directed Speech: language spoken in higher pitch with simple words and
sentences

recasting (rephrase correctly)

child: me go park adult: you want to go to the park

expanding (add in info)

child: doggy run adult: the doggy is running very fast

labeling

child: tree! adult: It is a tree with green leaves.

Encouragement is important than just blindly practice

Interactionist View
engage conversations with children is very beneficial.

exposed to opportunities to talk and be talked with

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 Language and Cognition
Williams syndrome: have unique combination of expressive verbal skills but
have low IQ and limited visuospatial and motor skills

It raises the possibility that thinking and language might not be closely
related.

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