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Preschool Language Development Insights

The document outlines the significance of speech and language development in preschool, emphasizing their correlation with academic success and the need for intervention in cases of delays. It discusses various theories of language acquisition and major systems of language, including phonology, semantics, morphology, syntax, and pragmatics. Additionally, it presents benchmarks for early word comprehension, production, and language use, highlighting the growth and refinement of these skills during preschool years.

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17 views12 pages

Preschool Language Development Insights

The document outlines the significance of speech and language development in preschool, emphasizing their correlation with academic success and the need for intervention in cases of delays. It discusses various theories of language acquisition and major systems of language, including phonology, semantics, morphology, syntax, and pragmatics. Additionally, it presents benchmarks for early word comprehension, production, and language use, highlighting the growth and refinement of these skills during preschool years.

Uploaded by

oofislife12
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Language and Language

Development
Module 2
Language Development

 Communication: the exchange of


information or ideas

 Language: a symbol system with


rules that govern the use of the
symbols

 Speech: the production of vocal


sound patterns
The Importance of Speech and Language in Preschool

 Speech/language ability is related to


academic success
 Speech/language delays or disorders
may be the earliest indicator of
other problems
 Most young children with disabilities
have a need for intervention in the
area of speech or language
 Preschool offers almost continuous
language learning opportunities
Language Research

 We can describe early language


acquisition in great detail….. (But
we do not know exactly how
children learn language)
 Research can serve as a guide for
evaluating child language and
identifying teaching targets
Theories of Language Acquisition

 Behavioral (Skinner, 1957)


 Psycholinguistic (Chomsky, 1965)
 Semantic/Cognitive (Bloom, 1970)
 Sociolinguistic (Bates, 1976)
 Interactionist (Bloom & Lahey,
1978)
The Major Systems of Language

 Phonology - The study of the sound system


of language (speech sounds)
 Semantics - Study of the meaning system of
language (vocab & content)
 Morphology - The study of word formation
and the rules governing the use of
morphemes (‘ing, plural, etc.)
 Syntax - includes the rules of word function
(parts of speech) and word order
 Pragmatics - is the study of rules related to
language use in the communicative context
(language use)
Language Benchmarks
Early Word Comprehension

 8-12 months: comprehends a few


words in context
 12-18 months: comprehends some
words outside of routines
 18-24 months: comprehends words
for absent objects and 2 word
combinations
 24- 36 months: comprehends simple
sentences supported by context
(Crais & Roberts, 2004)
Early Word Production

 Approx. 12 months: first words


 13-15 months: ten words
 18-20 months: 50 words (by 6
years, it’s 2,600 words!!)
 18-24 months: begins to produce 2
word utterances
(Owens, 2001)
Early Language Use

 12-24 months: uses words to get


attention, to get objects or actions,
to protest
 24 months: can initiate and change
a topic of conversation but very
dependent on context
 3 years: can use language for a
variety of functions
(McCormick & Schiefelbusch, 1990)
Preschool Comprehension

 Growth and refinement in


comprehension of vocabulary as well as
categorization (semantic development)
 Growth in comprehension of
grammatical aspects of language
(morphology and syntax) such as word
order, prepositions, plurals, possessives,
past and future tense of verbs

(Crais & Roberts, 2004; Miller & Paul,


1995; Paul, 2001)
Preschool Language Use

 Growth in the ability to maintain a


topic of conversation across a
number of turns without contextual
support
 Growth in the ability to initiate a
conversation and also to end a
conversation
 Growth in the ability to use
language for a variety of purposes

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