Language Development and Communication Milestones

These flashcards cover key concepts related to language development, communication milestones, and the processes involved in understanding and using language.

Phonology

The study of the sounds that make up a language, including consonant and vowel sounds.

Morphology

The study of the internal structure of words, including the formation, relationship, and elements of words.

Morpheme

The smallest meaningful unit of a language that cannot be divided further.

Free Morphemes

Words that can stand alone, such as 'play'.

Bound Morphemes

Units that must be attached to free morphemes to convey meaning, such as prefixes and suffixes.

Syntax

The set of rules that dictate how words are combined to form sentences.

Semantics

The study of meaning in language, including word meanings in isolation and in combination.

Pragmatics

The study of how context influences the interpretation of meaning and language use.

Communication Milestones

Developmental benchmarks that children typically reach at certain ages, outlining their speech and language abilities.

Mean Length of Utterance (MLU)

A measure of the average length of a child's spoken sentences, used to gauge language development.

Alphabetic Principle

The understanding that letters (graphemes) represent sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.

Print Awareness

Understanding the functions and conventions of written language, essential for literacy development.

Phonological Awareness

The ability to recognize and manipulate the sound structure of spoken words, critical for reading success.

Receptive Language Development

The ability to understand language and follow directions.

Expressive Language Development

The ability to express ideas, thoughts, and feelings using language.

Emergent Literacy

The early stages of reading and writing development that set the groundwork for future literacy skills.