Language Development

Question 1

How would you briefly introduce child language acquisition and development ?

Stages of language acquisition?

Answer 1

• Language acquisition of children is same across the world.
• The intensive period of child acquisition is the first 3 months ( the brain develops and matures around this time rapidly)
• intellectual development and language development are closely related

Stages
Crying :birth to 6 weeks
Pre talking stage Cooing : 6weeks- 6 months
Blabbing: 6months -10months
Holographic stage : 10months -18months
Two word stage: 18 months -24 months
Telegraphic stage: 24 months - 30/36months
Late multi word stage: 36months and beyond

Question 2

Describe the significance of each stage

Answer 2

Birth to 6 months
- Nightbown and Spada (2006)
First 6 weeks - reflexive vocalization, crying coughing burping
- at 6 weeks: cooing (sounds like vowels and consonants)
- hear lan, before articulation

6- 10 months

• starts to babble
• makes meaningless sounds.
• blabbing with intonation
• blabbing fine-tunes to the lan in the environment.
• respond to their name

12-18 months

• utters the first word.
• only speaks one word utterances
• understands simple instructions and questions
• aware of the social value of speech

18-24months

• moves on to the two word stage after few months
• vocabulary increses
• showcase children knowledge about the underlying principles of language like word order

24 months -3 years

• telegraphic stage
• combine words to make sentences
• can name a few objects
• vocabulary contains 150-300 words
• no rhythm , fluency, pitch ,volume
• uses pronouns like I and You
• concept of mine and me start to emerge.

Preschool years

• develops the ability to create compound and complex sentences.
• develop the ability to give commands, relate events, create stories, use correct word order and grammatical markers.
• ability to use language in a widening social environment.
• metalinguistic awareness
• knows the difference between adult talk and baby talk.

School years

• create compound and complex sentences rather easily.
• all speech is intelligible with few lapses in grammar.
• more substantial metalinguistic knowledge
• learn to read and write
• astonishing growth in vocabulary.
• knows the difference between spoken anf written language.
• acquire different registers.

Question 3

Critical period Hypothesis

Answer 3

The crucial period for language acquisition is from birth to puberty.
If not unlikely.

Victor and Genie

But it is not quite clear whether the difficultly is caused by abuse or the poverty of language exposure.

Safe to say, theres is a period during which the plasticity and the rapid growth of the Brian makes it easier to learn and assimilate lanagauge.

Question 4

How to encourage language development?

Answer 4

• including children in conversations even though they cant speak.
• encouraging peer conversations
• avoiding correction Of minor details
• offering encouragement and self assurance
• encourage the usage of books