MIDTERM master REVIEW-6400_Child Language Development Midterm Review

Child Language Development 6400 - Midterm Review

1. Introduction

  • Review materials include Speechpathology.com videos #1, #2, #3.

  • Importance of utilizing "Check Your Knowledge" assessments.

2. Lecture 3: Domains of Language

Five Domains of Language:

  • Phonology: The study of sounds in language.

  • Morphology: The structure of words and how they are formed (includes morphemes).

  • Syntax: The arrangement of words and phrases to create sentences.

  • Semantics: The meaning of words and sentences.

  • Pragmatics: The use of language in social contexts.

  • Morphemes:

    • Definition: The smallest grammatical units in a language.

    • Free Morphemes: Stand alone as words (e.g., "book", "run").

    • Bound Morphemes: Cannot stand alone, typically prefixes or suffixes (e.g., "un-", "-ing").

    • Derivational Morphemes: Change the meaning or part of speech (e.g., "happy" to "unhappy").

    • Inflectional Morphemes: Modify a word's tense, number, etc., without changing its meaning (e.g., "dog" to "dogs").

  • Language Modalities:

    • Definition: Different means of expression and communication in language.

    • Need for strong language skills: Facilitates effective communication, comprehension, and social interaction.

3. Lecture 4: Theoretical Perspectives of Language Development

  • Theoretical Perspectives: Understanding how language develops through various frameworks.

  • Patterns of Interaction: How children interact with their environment and caregivers to facilitate learning.

  • Hart & Riley's Five Quality Features:

    1. Quantity of Language: The amount of language exposure.

    2. Quality of Language: The richness and complexity of language input.

    3. Responsiveness: How caregivers respond to children’s communications.

    4. Engagement: Active involvement in interactions.

    5. Interaction: Opportunities for reciprocal exchanges.

  • Language Variation and Diversity:

    • Recognition of different dialects, sociolects, and socio-cultural influences on language.

  • Academic English Register:

    • Definition: The formal language used in educational contexts, characterized by complexity and specificity.

  • Types of Bilingualism:

    • Simultaneous Bilingualism: Learning two languages from birth.

    • Sequential Bilingualism: Learning a second language after the first is already established.

  • Code Switching:

    • Definition: The practice of alternating between two or more languages or language varieties within conversation.

4. Lecture 5: Encouraging Language Development in Infants

  • Initial Language Development Strategies:

    • Emphasis on engaging with infants from the very beginning of their lives through interaction and conversation.

  • Motherese/Child Directed Speech (CDS):

    • Definition: A speech style used by adults while talking to children, characterized by a high pitch, exaggerated intonation, and slower tempo.

  • Prosody in Speech Sounds:

    • Role in how infants perceive and process speech sounds, facilitating language learning.

  • Receptive vs. Expressive Language Development Timeline:

    • Receptive Language Development: Understanding language; typically develops before expressive language.

    • Expressive Language Development: The ability to produce language.

  • Stages of Vocalizations:

    1. Reflexive Crying (Birth - 2 months): Basic needs.

    2. Cooing (2 - 4 months): Comfort and pleasure sounds.

    3. Babbling (4 - 6 months): Combination of consonant-vowel sounds.

    4. Jargon Stage (10+ months): Use of mixed sounds resembling speech.

  • Development at Key Age Intervals:

    • 6-9 months: Increased babbling, recognition of simple words.

    • 9-12 months: First words, gestures become more intricate.

    • 12-18 months: Vocabulary explosion, initial two-word combinations.

    • 19-24 months: Rapid vocabulary growth, simple sentences appear.

    • 25-36 months: More complex sentences, use of pronouns and plurals.

  • Fast Mapping:

    • Definition: The process by which children quickly learn new words by associating them with existing concepts.

  • Early Appearing Morphological Structures:

    • Basics of grammar begin appearing including pluralization and verb tense.

  • Stage I Sentence Types:

    • Early sentences are often simple and mainly consist of two-word phrases.

  • Key Interaction Patterns of SLPs (Speech-Language Pathologists) with infants and toddlers:

    • Encouragement of conversation and interaction through play, modeling of language, and responding to infant communication.

  • Parent Instructions for Engagement:

    • Teaching parents to narrate activities, ask open-ended questions, and encourage turn-taking in conversations.

  • Establishing Routines:

    • Importance of structured interaction routines to foster language development, such as reading daily and singing songs.

Conclusion

  • These concepts are critical for understanding child language development and should be thoroughly reviewed in preparation for the midterm assessment.

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