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Language Development PDF

This document provides an overview of language development from birth through age 4. It discusses the stages of development including babbling, first words, word combinations, and grammar. Key theories on how language is acquired are also summarized, including behavioral, social, and nativist perspectives. Factors that influence language development such as biology, culture, socioeconomics, media, and family are identified for further reflection. Key concepts like fast mapping, pragmatics, social speech, and private speech are also defined.

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216 views

Language Development PDF

This document provides an overview of language development from birth through age 4. It discusses the stages of development including babbling, first words, word combinations, and grammar. Key theories on how language is acquired are also summarized, including behavioral, social, and nativist perspectives. Factors that influence language development such as biology, culture, socioeconomics, media, and family are identified for further reflection. Key concepts like fast mapping, pragmatics, social speech, and private speech are also defined.

Uploaded by

ROU ROU
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Ready for the 1st lesson? Here goes on language development.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

This section is more of a review of what were discussed during babyhood pertaining to language
development.

The stages of language development which we studied already mentioned of key terms such as babbling,
holophrases, telegraphic speech and the tendency for overextension.

Age Language Activity

Birth Cries

12 weeks Baby can smile & make cooing sounds

16 wks. Can turn head in response to human voice

20 wks. Can make vowel-like & consonant-like

cooing sounds

6 mos. Cooing changes to single- syllable babbling

sounds

8 mos. Can repeat many single-syllable sound

10 mos. Distinguishes between adult words by

responding differently to them

12 mos. Can utter words such as ma-ma & seems to

understand other words

18 mos. Has vocabulary of 3-50 words & begins to

use 2-word combinations

24 mos. Vocabulary exceeds 50 words; baby uses

two-word phrases.

30 mos. Variety of baby words increases

dramatically; baby can use 3 to 5 word


phrases.

3 yrs. Has clear pronunciation vocabulary of about

1,000 words

4 yrs. Language is established.

Theories of Language Development:

1. B.F. Skinner, the foremost proponent of learning theory, maintained that language, like other learning
is based on experience and thus children learn language through operant conditioning.

2. Social–learning theory, babies imitate the sounds they hear adults make and, again, reinforced for
doing so.

3. Nativism, human beings have an inborn capacity for language acquisition; also emphasizes the active
role of the learner; Noam Chomsky (linguist), proposed that the human brain has an innate capacity for
acquiring language; babies learn to talk as naturally as they learn to walk. He suggested that an inborn
language acquisition device (LAD) programs children’s brains to analyze the language they hear and
figure out its rules. Nativists point out that almost all children master their native language in the same
age-related sequence without formal teaching.

4. Adults may also have the tendency to talk to babies in a special kind of way , originally called as
motherese by linguists but now called as infant-directed speech. This simple language is spoken in a
higher pitched voice and at ab slower pace than is talked between adults.

Now, it is your turn to consider and reflect how the following factors contribute to language
development:

1. Biological and maturational factors

2. Culture

3. Socio-economic status and Social distance

4. Mass media

5. Family ( education, family size)

In addition, please take time to understand the following key concepts related to language development:

v Fast mapping – process by which a child absorbs the meaning of a new word after hearing it once or
twice in conversation.

v Pragmatics – the practical knowledge needed to use language for communicative purposes.
v Social speech – speech intended to be understood by a listener.

v Private speech – talking aloud to oneself with no intent to communicate.

My dear students, please to heart what you read. I hope that you can read this even if you are only on
free data. For now, I will refrain from using photos, designs that can prevent you from reading what we
share here. Look forward to some questions to be asked. For now, READ!😀😀

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