Language Development Flashcards
What are the main areas of language?
- Phonology
- Semantics
- Syntax
- Pragmatics
What is phonology?
“phonemes” or sound segments
What are semantics?
System of meaning (“morphemes”)
What is syntax?
Rules by which words/phrases are arranged
(Jane hit Sue vs. Sue hit Jane)
What are pragmatics?
How language is useful in different contexts or genres
What are the sequences in language development?
- Speech Perception
- Production
Explain speech perception before birth
- Fetal reactions to sounds from 20 weeks
- Ability to distinguish male & female voices near term (measured by perceived movement, ultrasound or changes in heart rate)
- Preference for “uterine” version of mother’s voice after birth
Explain speech perception in neonates
- Prefer speech over non-speech
- Prefer native language
- Prefer sounds produced by mother
- Discriminate word types (content vs function)
How was speech perception tested in neonates?
HAS procedure
What part of speech production can we see in babies of 1-2 months?
Cooing and laughing
Explain the canonical babbling that occurs in babies of 6-10 months old
- Include more vowels and consonants, in ways that start to sound like words
- Scream for attention or out of anger
- Specific gestures/sounds reserved for primary care-giver or other familiar individuals
Explain the modulated babbling that occurs in babies of 10+ months old
- Add stress and intonation patterns
- Overlaps with meaningful speech period
When do babies’ first words typically come?
9-12 months old
- Act as labels consistently
- “holophrases” condenses meaning
Explain the word explosion that typically occurs several months after a baby’s first words
- Roughly 20 words at 18m
- Roughly 200 words at 24m
- Mainly nouns (labels of objects, people)
- Some action, state, function words
Explain the stage of multi-word speech in babies at 18 months
18 months -> 2 word utterances
- Telegraphic speech
- Importance of scaffolding
Explain the stage of multi-word speech at babies of 24-27 months
24-27 months -> 3-4 word utterances
- Start to see evidence of grammatical rules