The Characteristics of Language Acquisition and Development
Lawrence Cooper
The Characteristics of Language Acquisition and Development
ECE315: Language Development in Young Children
Instructor: Kara Bullock
1-24-11
Language ability starts even before birth and happens in every area of the child’s life. A child absorbs the language that is spoken in their environment with characteristics such as the tonal quality, the syntax, and the usages of that language. A child can learn languages which are spoken by their parents. The child absorbs the language that is most prevalent in the environment they live. It is a unique phenomenon in human life and occurs in a significant time span. Language absorption is provided by nature from birth, up until around the ages of four to five. Early Childhood Language development in the first five years of life is the key for a child’s development of communication and language. In the first five years of life, the language development begins at birth when infants communicate through their cries and the many looks they give. In the next period, infant’s attempts at communication with adults become more deliberate. This period is usually around xix to eighteen months. Infants in this period can coordinate their visual attention with another person regarding objects and events. Their ability to remember comes into play. Their remembering will consist of recognizing and recall methods. Their quest to further their knowledge will help to facilitate their oral language competencies. Oral language Competencies are directly related to the acquisition of literacy. Children learn new words from hearing them in similar positions as they are used in sentences. They learn their words through direct teaching, parent vocalizations, and other points of interest. They also learn words by associating a word they hear with some concrete reference they can see. Their receptive mode in oral language is listening and their expressive mode in
The Characteristics of Language Acquisition and Development
ECE315: Language Development in Young Children
Instructor: Kara Bullock
1-24-11
Language ability starts even before birth and happens in every area of the child’s life. A child absorbs the language that is spoken in their environment with characteristics such as the tonal quality, the syntax, and the usages of that language. A child can learn languages which are spoken by their parents. The child absorbs the language that is most prevalent in the environment they live. It is a unique phenomenon in human life and occurs in a significant time span. Language absorption is provided by nature from birth, up until around the ages of four to five. Early Childhood Language development in the first five years of life is the key for a child’s development of communication and language. In the first five years of life, the language development begins at birth when infants communicate through their cries and the many looks they give. In the next period, infant’s attempts at communication with adults become more deliberate. This period is usually around xix to eighteen months. Infants in this period can coordinate their visual attention with another person regarding objects and events. Their ability to remember comes into play. Their remembering will consist of recognizing and recall methods. Their quest to further their knowledge will help to facilitate their oral language competencies. Oral language Competencies are directly related to the acquisition of literacy. Children learn new words from hearing them in similar positions as they are used in sentences. They learn their words through direct teaching, parent vocalizations, and other points of interest. They also learn words by associating a word they hear with some concrete reference they can see. Their receptive mode in oral language is listening and their expressive mode in
References: Atherton, Bernard. (2008) Early Childhood Language Development. Healthy, Happy, Successful: Parents and Kids Build Strong Body, Mind and Spirit by Learning Together Retrieved from http://www.parents-and-kids.com/blog/en/2009/02/early-childhood-language-development/ Campbell, Ashley & Mailman, Lindsay. (2010) Theories of Language Development. Retrieved from http://languagedevelopment.tripod.com/id15.html Otto, Beverly. (2006). Language Development in Early Childhood (2nd ed). New Jersey: Pearson Education Otto, B. (2010). Language Development in Early Childhood (3rd ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill