Language since inception has been hailed as the hallmark of humanity, the ability that separates humans from animals. "Language development is a process starting early in human life". Young children acquire language through significant others by interaction in their immediate environment, through responding to sounds, sentences and experiences expressed by their parents, family and other carers.
They begin by absorbing, listening and then imitating and practicing. Their responses are reinforced by these significant others and patterns begin to emerge, even for the babies, as they try so hard to make sense of what is happening around them. Gradually they learn to reproduce sounds and words and establish an understanding of how language works, the structure and grammatical sense of putting these sounds and words together. Infants start without language, yet by 4 months of age, babies can distinguish speech sounds and engage in babbling. Some research has shown that the earliest learning begins in uterus when the foetus starts to recognize the sounds and speech patterns of its mother's voice.
Usually, productive language is considered to begin with a stage of preverbal communications in which infants use gestures and vocalizations to make their intents known to others. According to a general principle of development, new forms then take over old functions, so that children learn words to express the same communicative functions which they had already expressed by preverbal means (Kennison, 2013). Language plays an important role in an individual development; children use speech not only for social communication, but also to help them solve tasks.
Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION
- DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
- Phonology
- Semantics
- Grammar
- Syntax
- Morphology
- Pragmatics
- THEORIES AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
- NATIVIST THEORY
- SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
- INTRATIONIST THEORY
- BRAIN RESEARCH
- RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
- Infants
- Toddlers
- Preschoolers
- RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTS AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
- How parents promote language development
- THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTS AND TRACHERS IN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
- CONCLUSION
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper examines the crucial role of language development in a child's educational journey. It delves into various aspects of language acquisition, explores prominent theories about how children learn language, and examines the impact of both parents and teachers on this process.
- Different aspects of language development, including phonology, semantics, grammar, and pragmatics.
- Major theories of language acquisition, including the nativist, social learning, and interactionist perspectives.
- The influence of teachers on language development in various age groups, including infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
- The role of parents in promoting language development and creating language-rich environments for children.
- The interplay between parental and teacher contributions to language development.
Chapter Summaries
The introductory chapter establishes the significance of language in human development, highlighting its role in communication and cognitive processes. It emphasizes that language acquisition begins early in life, through interactions with caregivers, and involves a progression from listening and imitating to understanding and producing language.
The chapter on different aspects of language development explores five key components: phonology (sound structure), semantics (vocabulary and meaning), grammar (syntax and morphology), and pragmatics (social rules of language use). These components, the chapter argues, each have distinct developmental periods.
The section on theories of language development delves into three prominent perspectives: the nativist theory, which posits an innate language acquisition device, the social learning theory, which emphasizes imitation and reinforcement, and the interactionist theory, which highlights the importance of social interaction. Each theory offers a different explanation for how children acquire language.
The chapter on brain research examines the neurological basis of language learning. It highlights the plasticity of the young brain and suggests a critical period for acquiring language effortlessly, before the age of eight or nine.
The chapter on the relationship between teachers and language development focuses on the role of educators in fostering reading and literacy skills. It emphasizes the importance of early reading experiences and the benefits of creating a language-rich environment in schools.
The chapter on the relationship between parents and language development explores how parents can promote their children's language development through various techniques, including talking, responding, reading, and introducing new words.
Keywords
The primary keywords and focal points of this work are: language development, language acquisition, child development, educational implications, phonology, semantics, grammar, pragmatics, nativist theory, social learning theory, interactionist theory, brain research, teachers, parents, literacy, reading, communication.
- Quote paper
- Micah Effiong (Author), 2019, Language Development and childhood, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/508902
