LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Language can be defined as a system of symbols that is used to communicate. From their very first cries, human beings begin to communicate with the world around them. As infants develop, they begin to use words to speak, advancing from only crying and using body language to communicate. In this section, I will focus on the aspects of language, theories of language development, language and the brain, the stages of language development, bilingualism and bilingual education, and language disorders.
Aspects of Language
Phonology is the study of the sounds of a language. Syntax is the grammar of a language (how we put words in order and how we change words so they make sense to our listeners). Semantics is the meanings of words. Pragmatics is how we use language (the rules that guide how we use language in social situations). Two basic units are central to the study of language and its development: morphemes (the smallest unit in a language that has meaning) and phonemes (the smallest distinct sound in a particular language).
When children develop the ability to communicate with language, they are developing all four of these aspects of language. They must learn what words mean and how to put them together so they make sense, and they must learn when and how to use language to accommodate their listeners and to accomplish their goals. |
Theories of Language Development
This video describes four of the main theories: Behaviorism, Social Cognitive Learning Theory, Nativism, and Social Cultural.
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In addition to those four, there is also Interactionsim (a theory of language development that proposed that the child's biological readiness to learn language interacts with the child's experiences with language in the environment to bring about the child's language development) and Cognitive Processing Theory (similar to Social Cultural Theory; the theory that learning language is a process of "data crunching," in which the actual process of learning words and their meanings relies on the computational ability of the human brain). |
Language and the Brain
What parts of the brain are specialized for language?
Language come in two forms.
Comprehension of language precedes production of language.
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Stages of Language Development
Prenatal through Preschool:
A video on how parents can encourage their child's speech and development:
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School-Age Children:
Click the button to the right to see an interesting study done by PBS that follows a child's journal to show how his writing develops.
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Adolescence:
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Bilingualism and Bilingual Education
To the right, you can see some benefits of being bilingual.
Below are some common types of programs designed to teach English to children who are not native speakers.
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Language Disorders
Communication Disorders:
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Autism Spectrum Disorders:
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Language-Based Learning Disabilities:
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