Early Stages of Child Language Development

This section outlines the key stages of child language acquisition from birth through early verbal communication. Understanding these stages is crucial for studying child language development stages English A level.

The eight main stages identified are:

1. Pre-birth: Babies become attuned to rhythms and sounds in the womb
2. Crying: Different types of cries can be identified
3. Cooing: 3-6 months, child discovers vocal cords
4. Babbling: 6-9 months, sounds resemble speech more
5. Phonemic expansion and contraction: Increasing phonemes, retaining native language sounds
6. Intonation and gesture: Using voice inflection for questions, pointing
7. Understanding: Words are recognized
8. First words: Child begins using recognizable words

Highlight: The stages progress from pre-verbal communication like crying and cooing to more speech-like babbling and eventually first words.

Example: In the cooing stage around 3-6 months, babies experiment with vowel-like sounds as they discover their vocal cords.

This overview of early language milestones provides a foundation for understanding child language acquisition stages A level coursework.

Theories and Case Studies in Child Language Acquisition

This section explores key theories and case studies in child language acquisition, essential for understanding the principles of language development and preparing for A Level English Language child language acquisition assessments.

Michael Halliday's Language Functions:

1. Instrumental: Fulfilling speaker's needs
2. Regulatory: Influencing others' behavior
3. Interactional: Developing social relationships
4. Personal: Expressing preferences and opinions
5. Informative: Communicating facts
6. Heuristic: Learning and exploring
7. Imaginative: Exploring imagination

Highlight: Halliday's functions demonstrate the diverse purposes of language in child development, beyond mere communication.

Case Study: Genie (1970)

• Discovered at 13, kept in isolation
• Unable to speak or stand upright
• Father prevented communication
• Never developed fluent speech

Example: Genie's case highlights the critical period hypothesis for language acquisition and the importance of early linguistic exposure.

Berko and Brown's "Fis" vs "Fish" Study:

• Demonstrated children's inability to hear their own pronunciation errors
• Showed correction ineffectiveness in early stages

Nelson's Study:

• Found that excessive correction of word choice and pronunciation in the holophrastic stage slowed language advancement

Major Theoretical Approaches:

• Nativist: Language is innate and pre-programmed
• Behaviorist: Language develops through imitation and feedback
• Social Interactionist: Early language influenced by interactions
• Cognitive: Language growth linked to cognitive development

Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory:

• Children are active learners
• Linguistic development linked to concept understanding
• Certain language concepts can't be taught before cognitive readiness

Berko's Wug Test (1958):

• Tested children's ability to apply morphological rules to novel words
• Demonstrated innate grammatical knowledge

Bruner's Social Interaction Theory:

• Emphasized the Language Acquisition Support System (LASS)
• Highlighted the role of adult support in language development

Quote: "Children are active learners and their cognitive development is very influential." - reflecting Piaget's perspective on language acquisition.

These theories and studies provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the complex process of child language acquisition stages, essential for A Level English Language child language acquisition model answers.