Language developement

SYNTAX AGE 12-18 MONTHS

• Children use single words to express complex ideas.("Up" = wants lifting)

• They are intheholophrasticphase, using one word sentences.

• Single words canact as commands, questions, or statements. Vocal andbody cues help convey their messages.

Average MLU for 12-18 months

• Average Mean Lengthof Utterance (MLU) is 1.0-2.0 morphemes.

Syntax age 18-24 months

• Vocabulary reaches 200-300 words.

• Begin 2-word combos; at 2 years,

• 3-4 wordphrases.

• Start using"and"

• 51% of speech is nouns

Semantics Age 12-18 months

• Understands words/simple commands like "no."

• Early vocabulary of ~50 words.

• Uses nominals and verbs often.

Semantics age 18-24 months

• Knows about 200 words.

• Begins two-word combos.

• Understands simpledirections.

• Uses words to express relationships.

Expressive vocab 1-2 years old

From single words to 2-4 wordcombos, up to 300 words by age 2

Receptive language 1-2 years old

Understands simple commands, comprehends language with gestures and direction following.

Communication function 1-2 years old

Requests, rejects, affirms, describes using verbal/nonverbal cues.

Cognitive connections 1-2 years old

Grasps cause-effect,

identifies objects/people

starts using verbs/adjectives

semantics 2-3 years old

• Demonstrates a significant increase in both comprehension (up to 3,600 words) and expressive vocabulary (200-600 words).

• Learns meanings in sequence, including objects, actions, and concepts related to time and space.

• Begins using first pronouns, answering simple questions, and can give accounts of experiences

morphology 2-3 years old

• Shows expandeduse ofbound morphemes, including inflections, prepositions, plurals, possessives, and pronouns.

• Develops simple past tense, copula forms, and begins to overgeneralize past-tense and plural morphemes

pragmatics 2-3 years old

• Communicates with intent, even though utterances maybe egocentric.

• Demonstrates the ability for rapid topic shifts but can sustain conversation topics more effectively.

• Uses communication for a variety of interpersonal functions, including criticism, commands, and expressing opinions.

Syntax 2-3 years old

• Forms sentences averaging 3-4 words, typically in subject-verb object format.

• Employs telegraphic speech with various word orders, including object-verb and subject-verb.

• Initiates wh- and yes-no questions, indicating an understanding of sentence modulation for inquiries.

• Expresses negation by placing "no" or "not" before verbs.

MLU 2-3 years old

• Begins using phrase and sentence structure with an MLU of 2.0-4.0.

Expressive and Receptive Language: 2-3 years old

Major growth in language comprehension and usage, including a larger vocabulary and more complex sentences.

Interactive communication: 2-3 years old

Improved interaction via language, such as asking questions, obeying commands, and sharing stories

Morphological Development: 2-3 years old

Quick increase in grammar usage, showing a better grasp ofl anguage rules.

Social and Emotional Expression: 2-3 years old

Increased language use for personal expression and social interaction, showing understanding of social contexts and relationships.

Semantics: 3-4

• Understandsupto 5,600 words and uses around 1,000 words.

• Knowspersonal info like full name and address.

• Can tell stories in order and sing songs from memory.

• Recognizes opposites and answers complex questions.

MLU: 3-4 years old

• MLU ranges from 3.0-5.0, focusing on nouns, verbs, and personal pronouns

morphology: 3-4

• Uses different plural forms (e.g., children,mice).

• Applies simple past tense and present progressive forms (e.g., running).

• Begins to use "is" in questions and correctly uses possessives.

Pragmatics: 3-4 years old

• Keeps on topic in conversations and adjusts speech for listener's age.

• Uses polite forms like "please" and "thank you."

• Engages in role-playing and understands jokes.

• Expresses desires and objections clearly.

Syntax: 3-4

• Masters clause-connecting devices like coordination ("and") and subordination ("because").

• Begins using complex verb phrases, modal verbs, tag questions, and embedded forms.

• Starts employing passive voice and uses mostly complete sentences with an average of 5-5.5 words per utterance.

• Acquires do insertions, negation, and begins using complex and compound sentences

MLU: 3-4

• MLU ranges from 3.0-5.0, focusing on nouns, verbs, and personal pronouns.

Vocabulary Growth: 3-4

Kids learn up to 5,600 words, forming complex sentences

Communication: 3-4

They ask detailed questions and share stories clearly.

Grammar: 3-4

Children improve in using plurals, tenses, and possessives.

Social Skills: 3-4

Enhanced conversation abilities and use of language for social interaction, including jokes and roleplay.

Semantics: 4-5

• Vocabulary expands to 9,600 words by age 5, with children expressing 1,500-2,000 words.

• They grasp abstract concepts, time, and categories (like animals and food).

• Kids engage with"why" and "how" questions, understand timing queries, and seek word meanings.

Morphology: 3-4

• Children use advanced grammar, including comparatives, modal verbs, and irregular plurals.

• They consistently apply complex grammatical forms, enriching language expressiveness

Pragmatics: 3-4

• Tailors speech to listener's age and grasps social communicationrules like turn-taking.

• Utilizes language for requests, explanations, andhumor.

• Maintains conversation flow, indicating better dialogue skills

Expressive and Receptive Language: 3-4

Major expansion in vocabulary and the ability to understand and form complex sentences.

Interactive communication: 3-4

Enhanced ability to maintain conversations, tell stories accurately, and ask meaningful questions

Morphological developement: 3-4

Mastery of advancedgrammar structures, indicating a sophisticated grasp of language rules

Social and Emotional Expression: 3-4

Use of language form or nuanced social interactions and emotional expressions, such as telling jokes and understanding the concept of right and left.

Semantics: 5-6

• Gets how things relate in space, like 'on top' and 'behind.'

• Knows words like 'alike,' 'different,' and their opposites, improving how they talk.

• Can tell what things are for or what they're made of.

• Tells long stories and knows lots of words by age 6,

• showing big word growth. Understands time, more or less, and order, helping them make sense of things

Morphology: 5-6

• Uses tricky words like 'anyone' and 'everybody,' and gets plurals and possessives right, showing they're good with grammar.

• Starts using words like 'smartest' and adds '-ly' to words, making their talking even better.

Pragmatics: 3-4

• Gets jokes, fixes mistakes in what they say, and can say things nicely if they might upset someone, showing they're really smart with words.

• Changes how they talk based on who's listening, showing they get what others might know or think.

• Is goodat asking for things i na round about way, like saying" I would like a sticker," which shows they're clever in how they talk to others.

• Knows if something is polite or not most of the time and uses "Thank you" and "I'm sorry," showing they know how to be nice.

Syntax: 5-6

Achieves a 6.0-8.0 MLU, indicating complex sentence structures.

• Uses present, past, future tenses well, showing verb tense mastery.

• Effectively uses conjunctions for idea connection, boosting narratives.

• Asks "how" questions and uses "have" correctly, showing sentence skill. Crafts "if" sentences,understanding hypotheticals. Shows sentence andvocabulary sophistication withfewergrammatical errors.

Expressive and Receptive Language: 5-6

Uses a wide range of words and ideas, excels in story telling and understanding complex concepts.

Interactive Communication: 5-6

Talks better with others by adjusting their speech for the situation and who's listening.

Morphological Development: 5-6

Shows deep understanding of grammar, mastering many language rules

Social and Emotional Expression: 5-6

Good at using language for socializing, follows politeness rules, and joins in adult conversations easily.

Semantics: 6-7

• Vocabulary Explosion: Understands between 20,000 to 26,000 words.

• Practical Knowledge: Grasps the seasons and related activities, can recite the alphabet, and counts to 100.

• Literacy Skills: Forms letters correctly, identifies capital and lowercase letters, and begins matching them.

Morphology: 6-7

• Grammar Mastery: Uses a wide range of morphological markers with consistency, including irregular comparatives (good, better,best).

• Verb to Noun: Begins producing gerunds (e.g.,"swimming") and uses derivational morphemes to change verbs into nouns (e.g.,"runner").

Pragmatics: 6-7

• Social Awareness: Notices mistakes in others' speech and adjusts language to be socially appropriate.

• Adapting Language: Modifies speech based on the listener's needs and begins to understand the impact of language in social interactions.

Syntax: 6-7

• Advanced Sentence Structure: Uses conditional phrases with"if" and"so," and reflexive pronouns like "myself" and "himself."

• Perfecting Tense and Voice: Begins to use perfect tense (e.g.,"have gone") and masters passive voice (e.g.,"Thegame was wonby the team"), with sentences averaging an MLU of 7.3 words. Complex Constructions: More frequent use of embedding, making sentences within sentences (e.g.," The person who called me was my friend")

Expressive and Receptive Language: 6-7

Significant leap in understanding and using a vast vocabulary and complex grammatical structures.

Interactive Communication: 6-7

Enhances conversational skills, aware of and corrects speech errors, and starts using slang and mild profanity.

Morphological Development: 6-7

Demonstrates a refined use of grammar, enhancing the ability to convey nuanced meanings.

Social and Emotional Expression: 6-7

Increased use of language for social interaction, showing anuanced understanding of conversational norms and relationships.

Syntax: 7-8

Sentence Mastery: Speaks in longer sentences, withan MLU of 7.0-9.0.

Complexity: Prefers complex and compound sentences.

Morphology: 7-8

Irregular Verbs: Usesmost irregular verb forms, with occasional errors in the past tense.

Comparison: Regularly uses superlatives (e.g.,"biggest","prettiest").

Adverb Use: Adverbs become a staple in their vocabulary.

Pragmatics: 7-8

Social Interaction: Initiates and maintains conversations in small groups.

Perspective Taking: Capable of role playing and considering the listener's viewpoint.

Context Awareness: Adjusts language use according to the social context (informal vs.formal).

Nonverbal Communication: Uses gestures and posture effectively to complement speech.

Conversational Skills: Carefully communicates with unfamiliar people, signals topic changes, and sustains topics through several turns, focusing on concrete subjects.

Semantics: 7-8

Literal Humor: Interprets jokes and riddles literally.

Predictive Thinking: Can anticipate story endings.

Creative Language: Starts using figurative language. Descriptive: Provides detailed descriptions and can create conversations from pictures.

Storytelling:Enjoys sharing stories and can retell them, maintaining the correct sequence of maini deas.

Words and Sentences: 7-8

Big jump in knowing lots of words and making fancy sentences.

Kids get jokes and can guess how stories end.

Chatting Skills: 7-8

Great at keeping up chats, understanding others, and knowing how to talk differently with friends or adults.

Grammar Magic: 7-8

Getting really good at using tricky word forms and making their stories and explanations richer.

Social Talk: 7-8

Better at talking in different situations

careful when meetingnew people

and good at moving on to new topics smoothly.