1. Chapter 9
Language Development

2. Language Definition(s) Rule Systems Infinite Generativity Phonology
Morphology
Syntax
Semantics
Pragmatics

3. Language in Infancy Babbling and Other Vocalizations Gestures
Recognizing Language Sounds

4. Language in Infancy First Words Two-Word Utterances --vocabulary spurt
--overextension and underextension
Two-Word Utterances
--telegraphic speech

5. Recent Research in Language Acquisition
Adoptee Study
--children adopted from foreign countries
--examined whether language acquisition was different for children with more mature brains
--provided some answers to question: is a child’s improvement in language ability due to a maturing brain or due to the acquisition of words
Adult Immigrant Studies
--compared second language fluency of adult immigrants to those of child immigrants
--suggests/provides more evidence for critical periods in language acquisition

6. Language in Early Childhood
Understanding Phonology and Morphology
Changes in Syntax and Semantics
--fast mapping
Advances in Pragmatics
Early Literacy

7. Question of Feral Children
Includes isolated or abandoned children
Used as evidence for “critical periods” in language development (blooming and pruning?)
Much of data is questionable/conflicting
Reason for abandonment/isolation not known (mentally deficient at birth?)
Progress depends heavily on whether there was any speech prior to abandonment/isolation, and at what age they reentered society
More recent studies still suggest critical periods, unsure of why or how that works

8. Language in Middle and Late Childhood
Vocabulary and Grammar
--Metalinguistic Awareness
Reading
--Phonics Approach
--Whole-language Approach
Writing
Bilinguilism and Second Language Learning

9. Influences on Language Development and Acquisition
Biological
Evolution
Environmental
Child-directed Speech
Recasting
Expanding
Labeling
Interaction

10. Study Guide Definitions Language Reading Writing
Changes through Infancy and Childhood
Reading
Early to Late Childhood
Classroom Approaches
Writing
Bilingualism/Second Languages
Theories of Language Development
How Parents can Help with Language Development
Other Topics
Adoptee/Immigrant Language Studies
Feral Children
Video