Slide 1 A Topical Approach to LifeSpan Development

Slide 1 A Topical Approach to Life-Span Development 6 e Chapter Nine: Language Development John W. Santrock © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 2 What is Language? • 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 – Genie, Wild Boy of Aveyron: raise questions about determinants of language © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 3 Language’s Rule Systems Phonology Sound system of language; how the sounds are used, combined — phoneme: smallest unit of sound Morphology Morphemes: units of meaning in word formation Syntax Ways words are combined to form acceptable phrases and sentences Semantics Meanings of words and sentences Pragmatics Appropriate use of language in context; can be very complex © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 4 How Language Develops • Infancy – Babbling, gestures, and other vocalizations • • Crying present at birth Cooing: occurs at 2 to 4 months of age Babbling: begins at about 6 months of age Gestures: begin 8 to 12 months of age © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 5 How Language Develops • Infants recognizing language sounds – “Citizens of the world” – Newborns recognize sound changes – Recognize own language sounds at 6 months • First words – Receptive exceeds spoken vocabulary – Timing of first word, vocabulary spurt varies © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 6 How Language Develops • Infants recognizing language sounds – Asian child learns verbs earlier than child learning English – Referential and expressive styles – Overextension and underextension of words – Two-word utterances (18 -24 months of age) – Telegraphic speech © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 7 Figure 9. 3 - Variation in Language Milestones © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 8 How Language Develops • Early childhood – Complex sentences at 2 to 3 years of age – Become more sensitive to language sounds; morphology rules, some overgeneralizations – Learn and apply syntax rules; auxillary-inversion rule takes longer © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 9 How Language Develops • Early childhood – Vocabulary development is dramatic to age 6 – Fast mapping • Many hypotheses why this occurs – Give novel labels to novel objects – Use of mutual exclusivity – Benefit from hearing mature speakers © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 10 How Language Develops • SES is linked to language development – Welfare parents talk less to their children • Provide less elaboration • Talk less about past events – Maternal language and literacy skills positively related to child’s vocabulary; not talkativeness • Frequent pointing, gestures • Use of diverse vocabulary © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 11 Figure 9. 6 - Language Input and Young Children’s Vocabulary Development © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Figure 9. 6 - Language Input and Young Children’s Vocabulary Development Slide 12 © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 13 How Language Develops • Advances in pragmatics – 6 -year-old is better conversationalist – Young children start using extended discourse • Learn cultural rules, politeness, and become sensitive to adapting their speech to the setting – Age 4 to 5: can change speech style at will • More polite, formal when with adults © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 14 How Language Develops • Middle and late childhood – New skills learned when entering school • Alphabetic principle • Learning diverse uses of language, sounds – Vocabulary and grammar • Process of categorizing becomes easier • From age 6 to 11 — 14, 000 to 40, 000 words • Improved logical reasoning, analytic skills © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 15 How Language Develops • Middle and late childhood – Development of metalingusitic awareness • Knowledge about language; improves considerably during elementary school years – In adolescence: most know rules for appropriate language use – Child with large vocabulary learns to read easier – Vocabulary development linked to comprehension © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 16 How Language Develops • Middle and late childhood – Whole language approach • Instruction to parallel child’s natural language • Learning; reading should be whole, meaningful – Basic-skills-and-phonics approach • Instruction should teach phonics and its basic rules • Reading should involve simplified materials © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 17 How Language Develops • Middle and late childhood – Writing • 2 - to 3 -year-olds emerge from scribbling to begin printing letters • Most 4 -year-olds can print their names; most 5 -year-olds can reproduce letters, words – Reversed letters are normal – Adults should encourage early writing © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 18 How Language Develops • Middle and late childhood – Years of practice needed for good writing • Linked to cognitive and language skills – Concerns about students’ writing competence • Grades 4 to 12: about 70% are low-achieving • High school grads: 50% not ready for college-level writing • Good writing results from good teaching efforts © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 19 How Language Develops • Bilingualism and second language learning – Sensitive periods vary across different language systems • Native-like accent best learned before age 12 • Adults learn faster than children, attainment not as high as children’s • U. S. students lag behind students in developed countries in learning a second language • United States: many miss out on benefits of bilingualism © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 20 How Language Develops • Adolescence – Increased use and understanding of • • Sophisticated words Analysis and abstract thinking Metaphors: Implied comparison of unlike things Satire: Use of irony, derision, or wit to expose folly or wickedness © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 21 How Language Develops • Adolescence – Much better at organizing ideas and writing • Dialect: Variety of language distinguished by vocabulary, grammar, or pronunciation – Adolescent dialect with peers often uses jargon or slang – Usually used to indicate group membership © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 22 How Language Develops • Adulthood and aging – Distinct personal linguistic style is part of identity – Vocabulary often continues to increase throughout adult years until late adulthood • Most common complaint: retrieving words, hard to hear in less than ideal listening conditions • Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon – Non-language factors may be cause of decline in language skills in older adults © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 23 Biological and Environmental Influences • Biological influences – Evolution and the brain’s role in language • Human language acquired 100, 000 years ago • Specific brain regions predisposed to language • Wernicke’s area: In brain’s left hemisphere involved in language comprehension © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 24 Biological and Environmental Influences • Biological influences – Broca’s area: In brain’s left frontal lobe involved in speech production • If damaged — fluent incomprehensible speech produced – Aphasia: Language disorder resulting from brain damage; loss of ability to use words © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 25 Figure 9. 7 - Broca’s and Wernicke’s Areas of the Brain © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 26 Biological and Environmental Influences • Chomsky – Humans biologically prewired for language – Language acquisition device (LAD): Biological endowment to detect features, rules of language – Theoretical, not physical part of brain – Evidence of uniformity in language milestones across languages and cultures © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 27 Biological and Environmental Influences • Environmental influences – Behavioral view • Language is reinforced chain of responses; a complex skill that is learned – Criticisms • Cannot explain creation of novel sentences • Children learn syntax of native language without reinforcement – No longer considered a viable explanation © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 28 Biological and Environmental Influences • Environmental influences – Interaction view • • Children interested in their social world Child-directed speech: Higher pitch for attention Parents, older children modify their speech Other strategies: – Recasting, Expanding, Labeling © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 29 Biological and Environmental Influences • An interactionist view of language – Language has strong biological foundations – Acquisition influenced by experiences; enriched environments have more positive effect – Worldwide: language milestones reached about the same time – Children acquire native language without explicit teaching; some without encouragement © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 30 Biological and Environmental Influences • An interactionist view of language – Bruner: Stresses roles of parents and teachers help construct language acquisition support system (LASS) • Sociocultural context is extremely important in understanding children’s language development • Resembles Vygotsky’s ZPD © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 31 The End © 2012 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.