Language Development

Component of Language Development

1. Phonology:
a. Definition: The study of the sounds of a language.
b. Key Points: Include information about phonemes, the smallest units of sound, and how they are combined to form words.
2. Morphology:
a. Definition: The study of the structure and formation of words.
b. Key Points: Discuss how morphemes, the smallest units of meaning, are combined to create meaningful words.
3. Syntax:
a. Definition: The arrangement and order of words to create well-formed sentences in a language.
b. Key Points: Explain the rules governing sentence structure and how different languages may have varying syntactic rules.
4. Semantics:
a. Definition: The study of meaning in language.
b. Key Points: Explore how words and sentences convey meaning, including the role of context and ambiguity.
5. Pragmatics:
a. Definition: The study of language use in context.
b. Key Points: Discuss how social and cultural factors influence language use, including the role of gestures, tone, and
situational context.
 Component of Language Development
6. Lexicon:
a. Definition: The vocabulary of a language.
b. Key Points: Highlight the importance of expanding one's vocabulary and how it relates to effective communication.
7. Social Interaction:
c. Definition: The role of communication in social settings.
d. Key Points: Emphasize the significance of language development in social interactions, including turn-taking, conversation skills, and understanding social cues.
8. Cognitive Processes:
e. Definition: The mental activities involved in language processing.
f. Key Points: Discuss how cognitive abilities, such as memory and problem-solving, contribute to language development.
9. Bilingualism:
g. Definition: The ability to use two languages proficiently.
h. Key Points: Address how exposure to multiple languages can impact language development and cognitive abilities.
10. Language Disorders:
i. Definition: Conditions that affect the normal development of language skills.
j. Key Points: Briefly touch on common language disorders, such as specific language impairment (SLI) or developmental language disorder (DLD).
 Theories of Language Development: The
Behaviourists
Behaviorist Perspective:
● Key Proponent: B.F. Skinner
● Basic Premise: Behaviorists believe that language is learned through environmental influences and
conditioning. According to this perspective, children acquire language through imitation, reinforcement,
and conditioning. Positive reinforcement, such as praise or rewards, strengthens language development,
while negative reinforcement, like correction, can hinder it.
● Focus: Emphasizes the role of external stimuli, environmental factors, and observable behaviors in
language acquisition.
● Critiques: Critics argue that the behaviorist perspective doesn't fully account for the complexity and
creativity of language. It also may not explain how children generate novel sentences that they have never
heard before.
 Theories of Language Development: The
Nativists
Nativist Perspective:
● Key Proponent: Noam Chomsky
● Basic Premise: Nativists argue that the ability to acquire language is innate and that humans are born with a
predisposition for language learning. Chomsky proposed the existence of a "universal grammar" that is
hard-wired into the human brain, allowing children to rapidly acquire the rules and structures of any
language to which they are exposed. This perspective suggests that exposure to language simply triggers the
unfolding of an inherent linguistic capacity.
● Focus: Emphasizes the role of biological factors and the innate structure of the human brain in language
acquisition.
● Critiques: While widely accepted, critics argue that the nativist perspective might not fully explain the
variability in language development across individuals and cultures. It also places less emphasis on the role
of environmental factors.
 Prelinguistic Development: Getting Ready to
Talk
Prelinguistic development refers to the early stages of language acquisition that occur before a child begins to use words.
1. Receptivity to Language:
● Definition: Before producing language, infants demonstrate an early receptivity to the sounds and rhythms of
language. This involves the ability to perceive and discriminate speech sounds from the surrounding environment.
● Key Milestones:
● Auditory Discrimination: Infants show a preference for their native language and can distinguish between
different speech sounds.
● Turn-Taking: Infants may engage in turn-taking behaviors during interactions, responding to caregiver
vocalizations with coos, gurgles, or other vocalizations.
2. First Speech Sounds:
● Definition: This stage involves the production of the first recognizable speech-like sounds by infants. These sounds
are typically not yet true words but are essential precursors to language development.
● Key Milestones:
● Cooing: Infants produce cooing sounds, which are typically vowel-like sounds, as early as a few weeks old.
● Babbling: Around 6 months, infants start babbling, producing repetitive consonant-vowel combinations (e.g.,
"bababa" or "dadada").
 Prelinguistic Development: Getting Ready to
Talk
3. Becoming a Communicator:
● Definition: Infants gradually learn to use nonverbal communication to express their needs, share
attention, and establish social connections with caregivers.
● Key Milestones:
● Joint Attention: Infants begin to share attention with caregivers, directing their gaze to objects and
events of interest.
● Gestures: Infants use gestures, such as pointing or waving, to communicate and convey meaning.
● Facial Expressions: Infants start to use facial expressions to express emotions, such as smiling in
response to positive interactions.
These early stages are crucial for laying the foundation for later language development. The receptivity to language,
production of speech sounds, and the emergence of communication behaviors contribute to the gradual development
of more sophisticated language skills as a child progresses from prelinguistic stages to the use of words and
eventually forming sentences.
 Phonological Development
Phonological development refers to the acquisition and mastery of the sound system of a language.
The Early Phase:
● Definition: This phase encompasses the initial stages of phonological development, typically occurring during
the first year of life.
● Key Characteristics:
● Cooing and Babbling: Infants engage in cooing and babbling, producing a variety of vowel and
consonant sounds.
● Vocal Play: Experimentation with a range of sounds, including those not present in the native language,
occurs during this phase.
● Sensitivity to Sound Patterns: Infants show sensitivity to the phonetic features of their native language,
demonstrating a preference for sounds and rhythm patterns specific to their linguistic environment.
 Phonological Development
Phonological development refers to the acquisition and mastery of the sound system of a language.
The Appearance of Phonological Strategies:
● Definition: As children move into the toddler and early childhood years, they begin to develop phonological
strategies for producing and manipulating speech sounds.
● Key Characteristics:
● Phonological Processes: Children may use simplifying strategies, known as phonological processes, to
simplify the production of more complex adult-like words. Examples include consonant cluster reduction
or syllable simplification.
● Emergence of Speech Sounds: Children gradually acquire specific speech sounds of their native
language, refining their articulation skills.
● Word-Specific Pronunciation: Children may initially apply pronunciation rules inconsistently, leading to
variations in the way they pronounce specific words.
 Phonological Development
Phonological development refers to the acquisition and mastery of the sound system of a language.
Later Phonological Development:
● Definition: This phase involves the continued refinement and mastery of the phonological system as a child
progresses through the school-age years.
● Key Characteristics:
● Phonemic Awareness: Children develop phonemic awareness, which involves the ability to manipulate
and recognize individual phonemes (the smallest units of sound in a language).
● Articulation Precision: Articulation becomes more precise, with children mastering the correct
production of speech sounds in various word positions.
● Expansion of Phonological Repertoire: Children expand their phonological repertoire, acquiring more
complex speech sounds and patterns as they encounter a wider range of vocabulary.
These stages highlight the gradual development of phonological skills from early vocalizations to the mastery of the
intricate sound system of a language. It's important to note that individual variations exist, and the timeline for
phonological development can vary among children.
 Semantic Development

Semantic development refers to the growth and change in a person's understanding and use of meaning in
language. It encompasses the development of vocabulary, word meanings, and the ability to use words to
express thoughts and ideas.
 Semantic Development
The Early Phase
Vocabulary Acquisition:
● First Words: In the early phase, infants typically start with basic, concrete words related to their immediate
environment, such as "mom," "dad," "milk," or "ball."
● Fast Mapping: Children engage in fast mapping, where they quickly associate a new word with its meaning
after only a few exposures.
Word Comprehension:
● Understanding Concepts: Children begin to understand basic concepts, like size, color, and shape, and
associate words with these concepts.
● Overextension and Underextension: Overextension involves using a word too broadly (calling all
four-legged animals "doggie"), while underextension involves using a word too narrowly (calling only the
family dog "doggie").
Word Combination:
● Two-Word Utterances: The transition from single words to combining words begins with two-word
utterances, which convey basic relationships or actions (e.g., "want cookie" or "big truck").
 Semantic Development
Later Semantic Development
Vocabulary Expansion:
● Rapid Growth: As children progress, there is a rapid expansion of their vocabulary. They start acquiring more abstract and specific
words.
● Categorization: Children develop the ability to categorize words into groups based on similarities and differences.
Word Relationships:
● Synonyms and Antonyms: Understanding synonyms (words with similar meanings) and antonyms (words with opposite meanings)
becomes more sophisticated.
● Multiple Meanings: Children grasp the concept of words having multiple meanings depending on context.
Conceptual Development:
● Abstract Concepts: Children begin to understand and use abstract concepts, such as time, emotions, and relationships.
● Metaphors and Idioms: Comprehension of metaphors and idioms develops, showing an appreciation for figurative language.
 Semantic Development
New Ideas about Semantic Development
Connection to Cognitive Development:
● Piaget's Theory: Some theories, like Piaget's, suggest that semantic development is closely tied to cognitive development. As a
child's cognitive abilities grow, so does their understanding and use of language.
Social and Cultural Influences:
● Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory: Vygotsky emphasized the role of social interactions and cultural influences in language
development. Semantic development is seen as a collaborative process involving interactions with others.
Technology's Impact:
● Digital Media: In the modern era, exposure to digital media can influence semantic development. Children may encounter new
words and concepts through interactive media and educational apps.
Individual Differences:
● Variability: There's recognition that individual children may vary widely in their semantic development timelines. Factors such as
individual differences in exposure, learning styles, and language input contribute to this variability.
 Grammatical Development
Grammatical development refers to the progression in a person's ability to understand and use the rules and
structures of language. Here's an overview of different stages in grammatical development:
1. First Word Combinations:
Telegraphic Speech:
● Early Phrases: Toddlers typically begin with single words but soon progress to combining two words to
form simple phrases or sentences.
● Telegraphic Speech: These early combinations often resemble telegraphic speech, where function words
(like articles and prepositions) are omitted, and the focus is on conveying essential meaning (e.g.,
"Mommy go," "Want cookie").
Word Order and Basic Grammar:
● Emerging Syntax: Children start to grasp basic word order and syntactic structures. For example, they may
use subject-verb-object (SVO) structures.
 Grammatical Development
2. From 2 Words to Complex Speech:
Expansion of Sentence Length:
● Three-Word Phrases: As children progress, they move from two-word combinations to three-word phrases,
allowing for more complex expression.
● Growing Vocabulary: With an expanding vocabulary, children can convey a wider range of ideas and actions.
Early Grammar Rules:
● Verb Tenses: Children begin to use basic verb tenses, such as present progressive (e.g., "I am running") and
past tense (e.g., "He jumped").
● Pluralization and Possessives: Mastery of plural forms (e.g., "dogs") and possessives (e.g., "Mommy's toy")
starts to emerge.
 Grammatical Development
3. Development of Complex Grammatical Forms:
Morphological Development:
● Inflections: Children acquire more complex morphological structures, including verb inflections for tense
(e.g., "walking" vs. "walked") and noun inflections for plurality (e.g., "cats" vs. "cat").
Complex Sentences:
● Subordination: Children begin to use subordination, incorporating dependent clauses into their sentences (e.g.,
"I want the toy that is on the shelf").
● Conjunctions: The use of conjunctions (e.g., "and," "but") becomes more frequent, enabling the construction
of compound sentences.
 Grammatical Development
4. Later Grammatical Development:
Advanced Syntax:
● Complex Sentence Structures: Adolescents and older children further refine their ability to use complex sentence structures,
incorporating multiple clauses and varied sentence types.
● Passive Voice: Understanding and use of passive voice may develop, allowing for more flexibility in expressing ideas.
Pragmatic Skills:
● Social Context: Grammatical development also involves the acquisition of pragmatic skills, such as understanding and using
language appropriately in different social contexts.
Continued Vocabulary Expansion:
● Specialized Terminology: In academic and professional settings, individuals continue to expand their vocabulary, including
specialized terminology related to specific fields of study or work.
Cross-Linguistic Variability:
● Language-Specific Patterns: It's important to note that the specific grammatical structures acquired can vary across languages.
Different languages have unique grammatical features, and children follow language-specific developmental trajectories.
 Pragmatic Development
Pragmatic development refers to the acquisition of social and communicative skills, encompassing the ability to use language in various contexts, understand and follow
conversational rules, and convey messages effectively.
1. Acquiring Conversational Skills:
Turn-Taking:
● Turn-Taking Skills: Children learn the art of taking turns in conversations. They begin to understand when it's their turn to speak and when it's time to listen.
● Pauses and Timing: Pragmatic development involves the ability to use appropriate pauses, allowing for smooth turn transitions and preventing interruptions.
Topic Maintenance:
● Staying on Topic: Children develop the skill of staying on topic during conversations. They learn to contribute relevant information and follow the flow of the discussion.
● Shifting Topics: Pragmatic development also involves the ability to shift topics smoothly and appropriately in response to conversational cues.
Repair Strategies:
● Clarification: Children learn how to seek clarification when they don't understand something and how to provide clarification when others may be confused.
● Repetition and Rewording: Pragmatic skills include using strategies like repeating or rephrasing to enhance mutual understanding during communication.
Nonverbal Communication:
● Eye Contact and Gestures: Pragmatic development includes the understanding and use of nonverbal cues, such as maintaining eye contact, using gestures, and interpreting the
nonverbal signals of others.
● Facial Expressions: Children learn to recognize and express emotions through facial expressions, contributing to the emotional tone of the conversation.
 Pragmatic Development
2. Learning to Communicate Clearly:
Speech Intelligibility:
● Articulation and Pronunciation: Pragmatic development involves refining articulation and pronunciation skills to enhance speech clarity and intelligibility.
● Phonological Development: Children progress in their ability to use and understand the sounds of their language, contributing to clear communication.
Politeness and Social Norms:
● Politeness Strategies: Pragmatic development includes the acquisition of politeness strategies, such as using polite language (e.g., "please" and "thank you") and
understanding cultural norms of politeness.
● Turn-Taking in Groups: As communication extends to group settings, children learn how to navigate turn-taking and contribute to group discussions effectively.
Adjusting Speech for Different Audiences:
● Code-Switching: Pragmatic development involves the ability to adjust speech based on the audience, such as using more formal language with adults and adapting
speech for peers.
● Vocabulary Variation: Children learn to vary their vocabulary based on the context and the familiarity of the audience with certain words.
Problem-Solving in Communication:
● Negotiation Skills: Pragmatic development includes the ability to negotiate and problem-solve during communication, resolving misunderstandings or conflicts in a
conversation.
Thank You