Slide 1 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT 9 A Topical Approach to John W. Santrock Language Development

Slide 2 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Defining Language Form of communication, whether spoken, written, or signed, based on system of symbols –Infinite generativity—ability to produce an endless number of meaningful sentences using a finite set of words and rules. What is Language?

Slide 3 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Language’s Rule Systems Phonology Morphology Syntax Rules regarding how sounds are perceived as different and which sound sequences may occur in the language Units of meaning involved in word formation Ways words are combined to form acceptable phrases and sentences Semantics Meanings of words and sentences Pragmatics Appropriate use of language in context What is Language?

Slide 4 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Sequence of Infant Vocalizations Crying - from birth Cooing - 1 to 2 months Babbling - around 6 months Gestures - 8 to 12 months How Language Develops

Slide 5 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Language Development in Infancy Follows the same developmental pattern regardless of culture Recognizing language sounds First words Two-word utterances –Telegraphic speech—use of short and precise words without grammatical markers How Language Develops

Slide 6 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Understanding Phonology and Morphology Children know morphological rules –Plural and possessive forms of nouns –Past tense of verbs Children abstract rules and apply them to novel situations –Sometimes overgeneralize rules How Language Develops

Slide 7 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Understanding Syntax Children show growing mastery of complex rules for how words should be ordered throughout elementary school years How Language Develops

Slide 8 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Advances in Semantics Speaking vocabulary ranges from 8,000 to 14,000 words for 6-year-olds –Rate of 5 to 8 words per day from 12 months old –Estimated rate of 22 words a day for 6 year olds How Language Develops

Slide 9 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Advances in Pragmatics 4 to 5 Years Old 4 Years Old 3 Years Old Change speech style to suit the social situation or age of listener Develop remarkable sensitivity to needs of others in conversation Improve ability to talk about things not physically present How Language Develops

Slide 10 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. FAMILY ENVIRONMENT Infants whose mothers spoke more often to them had markedly higher vocabularies Vocabularies linked to socioeconomic status of families Home language environment linked to child’s syntax How Language Develops

Slide 11 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Amount of Maternal Speech and Infant Vocabulary

Slide 12 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Language Input and Young Children’s Vocabularies

Slide 13 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Model of Developmental Stages of Reading How Language Develops StageAge/GradeDescription 0 Birth to first grade Master prerequisites for reading 1 1st and 2nd grades Learn to read 2 2nd and 3rd grades Become fluent at reading, but do not read to learn 3 4th - 8th grades Read to learn 4 High schoolBecome fully competent readers

Slide 14 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Reading: Two empirically supported approaches Basic-skills-and- phonetics approach Whole-language approach Represent world with word, images, drawings (2-7 years) Instruction should parallel children’s natural language learning; reading materials should be whole and meaningful Stresses phonetics and basic rules for translating symbols into sounds; early reading instruction should involve simplified materials How Language Develops

Slide 15 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Middle and Late Childhood: Bilingualism Bilingualism—the ability to speak two languages—has positive effect on children’s cognitive development Learning second language easier for younger children Children’s ability to pronounce second language with correct accent decreases with age How Language Develops

Slide 16 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Grammatical Proficiency and Age of Arrival in U.S.

Slide 17 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Brain’s Role in Language –Aphasia—language disorder resulting from brain damage; involves loss of ability to use words –Broca’s area—area of brain’s left frontal lobe that directs muscle movements involved in speech production –Wernicke’s area—area of brain’s left hemisphere involved in language comprehension Biological and Environmental Influences

Slide 18 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Broca’s and Wernicke’s Areas of the Brain

Slide 19 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Language Acquisition Device Chomsky’s term for biological endowment that enables child to detect features and rules of language Biological and Environmental Influences

Slide 20 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Behavioral View of Language Language a complex skill learned through reinforcement Problems with behavioral view: –Does not explain how people create novel sentences –Children learn syntax of language even if they are not reinforced –Fails to explain the extensive orderliness of language Biological and Environmental Influences

Slide 21 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Adult Influences on Children’s Language Development Child-directed speech Recasting Expanding Language spoken in a higher pitch than normal with simple words and sentences Rephrasing a statement that a child has said, perhaps turning it into a question Restating, in a linguistically sophisticated form, what a child has said Labeling Identifying the names of objects Biological and Environmental Influences

Slide 22 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. An Interactionist View of Language Biology and experience both contribute to language development Biologically prepared –Children acquire native language without explicit teaching –Some do so without encouragement Environmental Contribution from Sociocultural Context –Caregivers provide Language Acquisition Support System (LASS) Biological and Environmental Influences