Language Development &

Communication
Basic Components of Language:
1. Phonology

2. Semantics

3. Syntax

4. Pragmatics

Language Development &

Communication
Basic Components of Language:

Language Development &

Communication
Theories of Language Development
1. Learning Perspective
Imitation and reinforcement
Evaluation of perspective

Language Development &

Communication
Theories of Language Development
2. Nativist Perspective
Noam Chomsky
Language Acquisition Device
(LAD)
Language-Making Capacity
(LMC)

Language Development &

Communication
Theories of Language Development
Support for Nativist perspective
a. Brocas & Wernickes
areas

Language Development &

Communication
Theories of Language Development
Support for Nativist perspective
a. Brocas & Wernickes
areas
b. Infant phonetic
discrimination
c. Sensitive period
d. Invention of language

Language Development &

Communication
Theories of Language Development
Problems with Nativist perspective
a. Plasticity retained
b. Rhesus monkeys can
discriminate sounds
much like human infants
c. Do invented languages
occur without adult
intervention?
d. LAD not very helpful
concept

Language Development &

Communication
Theories of Language Development
3. Interactionist Perspective
Biology + Environment
Environmental Support for Language
Development
a. Joint activities (zone of
proximal development)

Language Development &

Communication
Theories of Language Development
3. Interactionist Perspective
Biology + Environment
Environmental Support for Language
Development
a. Joint activities (zone of
proximal development)
b. Motherese / Child Directed
Speech
c. Expansions/recasts
d. Conversation is critical

Language Development &

Communication
SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
Prelinguistic Period (until 10 to 13 mos)
A. Making sounds
1. Cooing
2. Babbling
3. Vocables

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
Prelinguistic Period (until 10 to 13 mos)
A. Making sounds
B. Learning the rules
1. Taking turns
2. Gestures & non-verbal
communication
3. Receptive vs. productive
language

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
Holophrastic Period
(from 10-13 mos to 18-24 mos)

Holophrastic period

Holophrase

Naming explosion -

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
Holophrastic Period
(from 10-13 mos to 18-24 mos)
Referential style

Expressive style

Cultural and birth order effects.

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
Holophrastic Period
(from 10-13 mos to 18-24 mos)

Overextension use relatively specific

words to refer to a broader set of
objects, actions, or events than
adults
do.

Underextension use general words

to refer to a smaller set of objects,
actions or events than adults do.

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
Telegraphic Period
(from 18-24 mos to about 30 mos)

Early sentences (two words or

more) consist solely of content
words
and omit the less
meaningful parts
of speech.

For example: More candy

See kitty
We go

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
Universal Milestones in Language Devel.
Milestone

Approx. Age

Cooing

2-3 mos.

Babbling

5 mos.

First Words

10-14 mos.

Ten Words

12 mos.

Two-word

21-24 mos.
sentence

Two-hundred
words

24 mos.

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
Preschool Period
(from 2 to 5 years)
Grammatical development
Overregularization
overgeneralize grammatical
rules to irregular cases (see
cartoon).
Semantics
Pragmatics &
Communication Skills

SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
Middle Childhood & Adolescent Period
(6-14 years)
Use larger words
Produce longer & more complex
sentences
Think about language and
manipulate it in new ways

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
The Importance
of Reading to Children
(Whitehurst et al. 1988)
Toddlers
Control group
Experimental group
After one month, the children in the
experimental group had a larger gain
in vocabulary
Replicated in Mexico (ValdezMenchaca & Whitehurst, 1992)

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
American Sign Language

Sign constructed from a limited set

of gestural components (same way
that the spoken word is constructed
from a finite number of distinctive
sounds or phonemes).

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
American Sign Language
Sign constructed from a
limited set of gestural
components (same way that
the spoken word is
constructed from a finite
number of distinctive sounds
or phonemes).
Components of ASL:
1. Position of hands
2. Configuration of
hands/fingers
3. Motions of
hands/fingers

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
American Sign Language
Deaf children acquire ASL much
like hearing children acquire their
oral language.
1. Babbling

2. Holophrastic phrases (action

words, naming objects,
modifiers).
3. Telegraphic statements
4. Same stages

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
American Sign Language
Deaf children acquire ASL much
like hearing children acquire their
oral language.

When deaf children are raised

with deaf parents:

Babbling 7-11 mos.

Pointing 8-9 mos.
Word/Sign 12 mos.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Bilingualism
Two Critical Issues:

1. Expose to both? Best way

to do this?
2. What is the best way to
acquire a second language
for school?

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Bilingualism
Exposing child to two languages at the
same time:
Slower at first, catch up
Dont mix up

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Bilingualism
Bilingual Education:
Whats most effective when child
does not speak language of
school?
Not Immersion
Not ESL Programs
Some basic instruction in native
language in first year or two

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Bilingualism
Advantages:
Increased language proficiency
Increased concept formation
Increased nonverbal intelligence
Increased metalinguistic awareness

Note: These positive effects result

from bilingual immersion and also
foster an appreciation for diversity!

Two-way bilingual education?

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Critical Period for Language Acquisition?
Critical Period Hypothesis: Notion that
human beings are most proficient at
learning language before puberty.
Prepubescent children
Brain damage

Summary

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Critical Period for Language Acquisition?
Wild Children
Number of cases recorded
Number of cases that acquired
language
Number that did not learn any
language (Reich, 1986)
Most famous case