What could be more exciting than hearing your baby’s first word? As that first word grows into a sentence and later into conversation, you will be watching a miracle—the miracle of language development. In this section, you will be able to understand different theories of language development and read more about the development itself.
Understanding language and using it effectively:
Children must master four basic components of the language.
1. Phonology- how words sound and how they are produced.
2. Semantics- the meanings of words and word combinations.
3. Syntax- rules for putting words together forming sentences.
4. Pragmatics- effective strategies used to communicate clearly with others.
By age 3 or 4, most children have become proficient enough to carry out conversations.
There are four major theories of Language Development explaining how children learn their native language in such a short amount of time.
Behaviorist Theory by: B.F. Skinner
Suggests that language is learned through operant conditioning (reinforcement and imitation). This perspective sides with the nurture side of the nature-nurture debate.
Nativism Theory by: Noam Chomsky
Argues that language is a unique human accomplishment. He says that all children have what is called an innate language acquisition device that allows children to produce consistent sentences once vocabulary is learned. His claim is based upon the view that what children hear - their linguistic input - is insufficient to explain how they come to learn language. This mechanism provides certain “prewired” knowledge and skills that make the task of learning language much simpler than it would be if children had to start from scratch.
Information Processing Theory
Focuses on the specific cognitive processes that children use as they acquire language. Infants pay attention to human speech and speech-related events from a very early age. Within a few days after birth, they show a preference for human voices over other sounds, can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar voices.
Sociocultural Theory
Look more at how social interactions foster language development. Children are socialized to use language. Language socialization- involves both explicit instruction about language and more indirect means of communicating appropriate linguistic behaviors.
First forms of communication:
· Crying
· Cooing
· Smiling
· Pointing
· Gesturing
Semantic Development:
Infants begin categorizing objects as early as 3 or 4 months of age. They appear to understand the meanings of some words as early as 8 months, and typically their first word at about 12 months. By 18 months they may have up to 50 words in their expressive vocabularies. During the end of their second year, children learn 30 to 50 words a month and later up to 20 words a day.
At 6 years of age, children’s semantic knowledge includes 8,000-14,000 words. By 6th grade their receptive vocabulary includes on average, 50,000 words. By high school, about 80,000 words.
How to foster semantic development:
For one it is important to talk regularly to, with, and around infants and toddlers. Children learn a great deal from just hearing people converse around them. Which is how they learn the basic characteristics!
For some students, when they are at school age, they learn more when they are told directly what words mean.
Provide the children with examples and nonexamples. This is helpful towards children because they get a better understanding of a word through the use of examples.
Another good tool is to provide children with feedback when they use words incorrectly. This way a child won’t get misconceptions of words.
Most importantly is encouraging children to read as much as possible!
