Language Development in Early Childhood

Question 1

Vocabulary Development

Answer 1

• Fast-mapping (Objects, Verb, Modifiers)
• Coin New Words
• Metaphors

Question 2

Strategies for Word Learning

Answer 2

• Mutual exclusivity bias
• Figure out sentences
• Adult help

Question 3

Learning Grammar

Answer 3

Basic Rules (Subject-verb-object structure by age 4, Plurals, To be)

• Overregulation
• Complex Structures (Questions, Not complete until middle school)

Question 4

Pragmatics remain an issue

Answer 4

• 2-year-old can have effective conversations
• By 4, adjust to fit age, sex, social status of listener
• Difficult situations (Telephone)

Question 5

Fast-Mapping (Vocabulary Development)

Answer 5

Children’s ability to connect new words with their underlying concepts after only a brief encounter

Question 6

Coin New Words (Vocabulary Development)

Answer 6

Fill in for words they have not yet learned, children as young as age 3 coin new words using ones they already know—“plant-man” for a gardener, “crayoner” for a child using crayons.

Question 7

Metaphors (Vocabulary Development)

Answer 7

Preschoolers also extend language meanings through metaphors based on concrete sensory comparisons: “Clouds are pillows,” “Leaves are dancers.” Once vocabulary and general knowledge expand, children also appreciate nonsensory comparisons: “Friends are like magnets,” “Time flies by”