Child Language Features and Stages Flashcards
What is the ‘Pre-Verbal Stage’ in child language acquisition?
The initial stage where children make sounds before producing recognizable words.
List the phases of the pre-verbal stage and their corresponding age ranges.
- 0-4 months: Vegetative
- 4-7 months: Cooing
- 6-9 months: Babbling
- 9-12 months: Protoword
What is ‘phonology’ in the context of child language development?
The study of speech sounds, beginning at birth with the first noises made by the child.
What are common patterns in children’s pronunciations compared to adults?
- Deletion
- Substitution
- Addition
- Reduplication
- Consonant cluster reduction
- Deletion of unstressed syllables
What is the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)?
A system developed so that every sound has its own letter.
What are the ‘Early 8’ phonemes that children typically acquire by age 3?
- m
- b
- j (y)
- n
- w
- d
- p
- h
What are the ‘Middle 8’ phonemes that children typically acquire by age 4-5?
- t
- ŋ (ng)
- k
- g
- f
- v
- tʃ (ch)
- dʒ (j)
What are the ‘Late 8’ phonemes that children typically acquire by age 6?
- ʃ (sh)
- ð (th)
- Ɵ (th)
- s
- z
- l
- r
- ʒ (zh)
What is the ‘Holophrastic Stage’ in child language acquisition?
The stage where children use one word to convey a whole phrase.
What are the four predictable categories of the first 50 words learned according to Katherine Nelson?
- Naming things (N)
- Personal / social (S)
- Actions / events (A)
- Modifying (M)
Define ‘overextension’ in child language development.
When a child uses a word too broadly, applying it to things beyond its typical meaning.
Define ‘underextension’ in child language development.
When a child uses a word too narrowly, applying it only to a specific instance.
What occurs during the Two-word Stage of child language?
Children begin to link two words to create relationships, indicating an understanding of syntax.
What are ‘pivot class’ and ‘open class’ words?
- Pivot class: can be combined with various open class words
- Open class: can stand alone or be combined with pivot words
What is the focus of the Telegraphic Stage?
Children combine three or more words but omit several words that adults would typically include.
What are some key developments in the Telegraphic Stage?
- Questions
- Negation
- Tenses
- Determiners
What are morphemes?
The smallest units of a word that carry independent meaning.
Differentiate between free morphemes and bound morphemes.
- Free morphemes: stand alone as independent words
- Bound morphemes: must be attached to a free morpheme
What are ‘virtuous errors’ in child language development?
Logical errors made by children that demonstrate their understanding of language rules.
What is ‘Child-Directed Language’?
The distinctive way adults talk to children to facilitate language learning.
List the purposes of Child-Directed Speech.
- Attract and hold the child’s attention
- Make language more easily comprehensible
- Make conversation more predictable
What are some linguistic features of Child-Directed Language?
- Repeated sentence frames
- Expansions
- Re-castings
What are the three purposes of child-directed speech?
To attract and hold the child’s attention, to make language more easily comprehensible, to make the conversation more predictable.
What is a repeated sentence frame in child-directed speech?
The parent uses the same structure over and over, filling in part of it with a different word.
Define expansions in child-directed language.
The adult ‘fills out’ a child’s utterance.
What are re-castings in the context of child-directed speech?
The child’s vocabulary is put into a new utterance.
What linguistic feature involves repetition of the child’s own words?
Repetition or partial repetition of the child’s own words.
How do adults modify pronouns when speaking to children?
They frequently use the child’s name and use fewer pronouns than in speech to adults.
What type of sentences are more commonly used in child-directed speech?
Greater use of simple sentences.
What types of nouns and verbs are predominantly used in child-directed language?
Largely concrete nouns and dynamic verbs.
How does the use of past tenses differ in child-directed speech compared to adult speech?
Fewer past tenses than in adult speech.
What is a characteristic of utterances in child-directed speech?
A large number of one-word utterances.
As a child’s language develops, what happens to the adult’s language?
The adult’s language becomes more complex.
Who determines the kind of language used during interactions, the child or the adult?
The child determines the kind of language used, not the adult.
Fill in the blank: When talking to children, adults tend to choose ______ topics.
[child-directed]
What do adults do if a chosen topic is unsuccessful during conversations with children?
Suggest new topics.
In what manner do adults interact topically with children?
Talk topically with children.
What communication strategy do adults use to clarify what a child wants if unclear?
Use questioning or trial and error.
True or False: Adults behave co-operatively when communicating with children.
True.
What do adults do with utterances from children that are not co-operative or comprehensible?
Ignore or work around them.
