Child Language Acquisition Keywords

Suitable for CIE A Level English Language (9093). Covers keywords in Section B: Child Language Acquisition for Paper 3

babbling stage

the first stage of language acquisition, generally occurs from 6 months until 12 months of age; where a child begins experimenting with articulate sounds but does not produce any recognizable words

holophrastic stage

a stage of language acquisition where the use of a single word to express a complex idea; generally occurs from 9 to 18 months of age

telegraphic

a stage of language acquisition where (often) two-word sentences consisting of a noun and verb are used to express ideas; generally occurs from 18 to 24 months of age

post-telegraphic stages

the final stage of language acquisition where a child is able to utter phrases that are grammatically correct and complex to communicate; generally occurs from 24 to 30 months of age

functions of language

developed by Michael Halliday; describes the seven ways children use language

instrumental function

used to achieve a certain result by the speaker or someone else

regulatory function

controls the behavior of another person or others

interactional function

the communicative use of language to help others understand them

personal function

information about people and their relationships

heuristic function

the ability or potential of language for helping people make decisions

imaginative function

the ability to use words, sunds, and grammatical forms to evoke imagery

representational function

the way words can be used to refer to things, people, and events

what is the imitation and reinforcement theory?

the belief that language is acquired by conditioning (the repetition of a stimulus), this is often done by a child imitating sounds and positive reinforcement by parents

who developed the imitation and reinforcement theory?

B. F. Skinner, 1957

what is LAD (language acquisition device)?

an innate system in the brain that allows the spontaneous and rapid development of language skills in children; children seem to be aware of the subject-verb form of grammar common in all languages

who developed the LAD theory?

Noam Chomsky, 1965

what is LASS (language acquisition support system)?

a support system that helps children acquire language and become sociable; this support system includes parents and other caregivers such as teachers; it is most important between the ages of 2 and 5

who developed the LASS theory?

Jerome Bruner, 1983

what is the cognitive development theory?

the theory that children went through stages of increasingly complex mental development that aided language development

who developed the (main) cognitive development theory?

Jean Piaget

Piaget’s stages of development

the stages in the cognitive development theory; includes the sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages

sensorimotor stage (Piaget’s stages)

earliest knowledge is acquired through physical actions and sensations, develops object permanence; lasts until the age of 2

pre-operational stage (Piaget’s stages)

child perceives the world in relation to themselves, can be seen as egocentric perception, able to think in more definite terms; lasts between the ages of 2 and 5

concrete operational stage (Piaget’s stages)

child is able to think more logically about specific ‘concrete‘ or observable situations, development of the idea of conservation; lasts between the ages of 5 and 11/12

formal operational stage (Piaget’s stages)

child is able to think and understand more abstract concepts and the language associated with them; lasts from the age of 12 and is the last stage of child development

child-directed/caretaker speech

a speech style used by adults and older children when talking to infants or young children; this can be seen as using shorter sentences, restricted vocabulary, and higher intonation