1. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Language Development Chapter 9

2. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2 Chapter Outline Theoretical perspectives of language development Trends in language development Development of a second language Diversity in language development Exceptionalities in language development

3. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3 5 Theoretical Perspectives Modeling and reinforcement Nativism built-in mechanism facilitating acquisition of language Information processing working memory and attention, reasoning Sociocultural social interaction and intersubjectivity Functionalism practical benefits

4. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4 Questions That Remain Status of language-specific mechanism for learning Order of acquisition receptive language (comprehension) or expressive language (production) Role of infant-directed speech slow, higher pitch, exaggerated shifts in tone repetitive, limited vocabulary, simple grammatical structures

5. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 5 Trends in Language Development Semantic development Syntactic development Development of listening skills Development of speaking skills Development of pragmatics Development of metalinguistic awareness

6. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6 Semantics Comprehension about 8 months of age Production about 12 months of age 50 words by 18 months, then “explosion” Early errors underextension overextension confusing meaning General trends lexical words precede grammatical words labels for concrete objects before labels for abstract ideas

7. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 7 Mechanisms for Learning Fast mapping inferring meaning after single exposure rule-based new word goes with novel object words refer to whole objects, not just parts of objects words refer to categories of things

8. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 8 Fostering Semantic Development Talk regularly to, with, around infants & toddlers. Give definitions. Provide examples and nonexamples. Give feedback when children use words incorrectly. Encourage children to read.

9. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 9 Syntax Expressive language before combinations: Holophrases early combinations: Telegraphic speech grammatical words by about age 3 overregularization in preschool increase in length and complexity through childhood Receptive language comprehend simple syntax before they produce combinations rely on word order difficulty with passive sentences, multi-clause sentences through childhood By adolescence, syntactic development probably occurs as the result of formal instruction

10. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 10 Acquiring Syntactic Knowledge Children are aware of & sensitive to speech patterns in infancy May notice probability of word combinations May engage in semantic bootstrapping Syntactic development is largely a constructive and unconscious process

11. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 11 Fostering Syntactic Development Expand on telegraphic speech. Teach irregular verbs and comparative adjectives. Describe various sentence structures, & give children considerable practice in their use. Provide ample opportunities for children to express their ideas in a relatively “formal” way, & give feedback about appropriate syntax.

12. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 12 Development of Listening Skills Infants focus on native language sounds. phonemes Young children rely heavily on context. Young children have overly simplistic view of “good listening.” Elementary school children do not always know what to do when they don’t understand. Children & adolescents become increasingly able to understand multiple meanings.

13. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 13 Promoting Listening Comprehension Take children’s semantic & syntactic development into account when speaking to them. Check frequently to be sure they understand. Adjust the length of verbal presentation to the attention span of the age group; avoid information overload. Encourage critical listening.

14. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 14 Speaking Skills Cooing — 1-2 months Babbling – 6 months Gestures — 12 months Difficult consonants (r) — 6 years All phonemes & blends (English) — 8 years

15. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 15 Speaking Skills Other developmental trends through childhood conversations increase in length and depth children adapt speech to the listener children become more skillful at narratives more creative and figurative expressions “teen lingo” emerges

16. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 16 Promoting Speaking Skills Regularly engage infants in conversation. Let children know if their message is difficult to understand. Ask children to tell stories. Encourage creativity in oral language.

17. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 17 Pragmatics Preschoolers say “please” & respond politely to other people’s questions. Preschoolers know to speak to adults differently than to peers. Pragmatic conventions are refined through adolescence, and perhaps beyond.

18. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 18 Pragmatics Sociolinguistic behavior is culturally dependent talking versus being silent interacting with adults making eye contact maintaining personal space responding to questions waiting and interrupting Culture shock: when sociolinguistic behaviors expected at home differ significantly from those expected at school and in other group settings

19. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 19 Metalinguistic Awareness Development of metalinguistic awareness awareness of components & purpose of language — late preschool or early school age labeling parts of speech & language — middle childhood or early adolescence interpreting multiple meanings — through adolescence Promoting metalinguistic development use jokes & riddles to explore multiple meanings read literature that plays on the nature of language encourage learning a second language

20. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 20 Development of a Second Language Early exposure helpful, not necessary Easier if languages are very different

21. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 21 Bilingualism Fluency in two languages Advantages higher scores on tests of advanced cognitive functioning (intelligence, creativity) cultural & family identity

22. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 22 Teaching a Second Language Immersion students hear and speak second language almost exclusively in class native English speakers benefit from immersion in new language Bilingual education academic subject areas taught in native language additional instruction on second language English language learners who live in an English- speaking country benefit

23. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 23 Diversity in Language Development Gender differences girls > boys, but small difference men more direct; women more polite Socioeconomic differences children from higher income homes — larger vocabularies Ethnic differences sociolinguistic behaviors differ dialects develop African American English

24. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 24 Exceptionalities in Language Development Specific Language Impairment Guidelines for practice Be on the lookout for children who exhibit significant delays or other language problems unusual for their age group. Encourage children to speak. Listen patiently. Ask for clarification when a message is unclear. Provide guidance about how to talk effectively with others.

25. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 25 Exceptionalities in Language Development Sensory impairments visual auditory intervene as early as possible to address correctable hearing impairments. communicate messages through multiple modalities learn elements of American Sign Language & finger spelling; teach them to children’s peers

26. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 26 What Can Education Professionals Do? Provide definitions, examples, and non- examples for new words Have children define new vocabulary in their own words Use the new vocabulary in a variety of contexts Encourage children to read on their own as much as possible Provide a variety of opportunities for children to speak and write Give supportive feedback when words are used incorrectly Ask questions that encourage children to respond with more than yes or no answers

27. Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 27 Take-Home Messages Behavioral theories cannot explain why most children acquire a complex language system in a very short period, with limited guidance. Recent theories include nativism, information processing theory, sociocultural theory, & functionalism. Linguistic knowledge and skills continue to develop throughout infancy, childhood, & adolescence. Research consistently indicates that knowing two or more languages enhances achievement in reading and other language arts, promotes greater metalinguistic awareness, & fosters multicultural sensitivity. Much of language development is universal. Males differ in some ways from females and children from high-SES backgrounds differ from those from low-SES backgrounds. Children with specific language or sensory impairments may need special educational assistance.