Language Development

Question 1

What does language development involve?

Answer 1

Communication through articulation (speech) and receptive speech (understanding).

Question 2

What happens between 0-3 months in language development?

Answer 2

• Makes mouth movements in response to parents.
• Cries to ask for food or comfort.

Question 3

What happens between 6-12 months in language development?

Answer 3

• Understands some words, such as “bye-bye.”
• Makes sounds such as “gaga.”

Question 4

What happens at 18 months in language development?

Answer 4

• Can say between six and ten words.
• Can follow simple instructions.

Question 5

What happens between 2-3 years in language development?

Answer 5

• Links words together, for example, “me car.”
• Vocabulary increases to approximately 200 words at 2½ years.

Question 6

What happens between 3-5 years in language development?

Answer 6

• Uses simple sentences.
• Asks questions.
• May use incorrect forms of words, for example, “I good.”

Question 7

What happens between 5-8 years in language development?

Answer 7

• Speaks in complex sentences.
• Can reason and explain.

Question 8

What happens between 5-8 years in language development?

Answer 8

• Speaks in complex sentences.
• Can reason and explain.

Question 9

What happens between 9-19 years in language development?

Answer 9

• Developing vocabulary.
• Uses language to explore abstract ideas.

Question 10

Who proposed the Language Acquisition Device (LAD)?

Answer 10

Chomsky

Question 11

What is Chomsky’s LAD theory?

Answer 11

• It suggests that humans are born with a structure in their brain that enables them to acquire language.
• There is a critical period for first language development in the first years of life.
• All humans follow the same pattern of language development.
• Humans have an innate understanding of the structure of language (called universal grammar).

Question 12

What are the criticisms of Chomsky’s LAD theory?

Answer 12

1. Lack of scientific evidence for innate understanding of the structure of language.
2. The rate of language development is affected by the degree of interactions with others.
3. Chomsky did not take into account that a language acquisition support system is required.
4. He put more emphasis on grammar in sentence development rather than meaning.