English Language; Development of Language

BABBLING * Occurs at the age of 5-7 months. * Experimenting with sounds, producing large number of different sounds, many their own creations * Figuring out vocal apparatus, discovering sounds that are distinctive for their particular language * Sounds will narrow to only the sounds that they hear around them * Intonation patterns are first to be acquired * Babbling appears to be innate
ONE WORD UTTERANCES * Occurs at around 12-18 months * Infants discover sounds relating to meaning and start to use the sounds in expressive ways * They might acquire language all in the same way in the end, but there is considerable variation in details along the way * Capable of producing approximately 50 words * Capable of distinguishing phonemes long before they can produce them * They are able to understand a lot more than the 50 words they can produce.
TWO WORD UTTERANCES * 18-14 months * Generate an exuberance of new words, combining them in 2 word utterances * Only include open content words, and no function words * Missing grammatical bits and pieces, interpretation will depend on syntax * Location phrases are: Object/Person + Location * Action utterances: Agent + action OR Action + Patient * Children are being creative, they do not purely mimic utterances they hear around them.
TELEGRAPHIC
* Around 24-30 months * Jumps straight from the 2 word stage to the multiword stage * Children sound as if they are reading a telegram * Function words and morphemes are still lacking * The utterances have a clear hierarchal structure but not yet of the adult grammar * First inflection to emerge is –ing * With the plurals not far behind, (-s, -es, ‘s) and simple prepositions also occur at this time * Children’s vocabulary expands rapidly, development is explosive

Nativist Approach
Children are born with an innate capacity for language development, that is, learning language is instinctive and children are ‘programmed’ to understand and make sense of words said being to them. It is believed that there is a language acquisition device (LAD) in the human brain that allows for us to understand basic grammar rules without actually being taught it! This is why children are able to understand sentences being said to them without having any prior experiences. Learning the exact grammar rules, however, is done through trial and error during childhood. Behaviourist Approach
It is believed that children learn by imitating and mimicking the sounds and sentences they hear around them and that parents help by correcting their child’s mistakes and rewarding the child when they correctly say it. This theory suggests that children’s knowledge of language is based on the sounds and sentences they hear around them. Interactive Approach
Interaction is very important when children are acquiring language. Adults will often change the way they speak when interacting with a younger child. This theory suggests that when adults interact with children they will tend to simplify vocabulary and shorten sentences. The adult will also frequently ask questions in order to expand the child’s speech and vocabulary. There is also lots of repetition that reinforces new words and grammatical rules. This theory suggests that the interaction between the adult and child is a positive influence on the acquisition of grammatical structures and rules