Language Development

Abstract

The paper discusses about language development in children. The paper discusses some important theories that explain the language development process in children. The paper will also highlight on how teachers should devise strategies to enhance language development in children, followed by parent responsibility in language development in children and the conclusion.

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Discussion1

Theoretical frameworks of language development2

Navist theory2

Social learning theory2

Interactionist theory3

Language development in preschool3

Establish a Positive Climate3

Use Children's Play to Facilitate Reading and Writing4

Create a Physical Learning Environment4

Non verbal communication4

Interaction with children5

Parent's responsibility in language development5

Teach and practice conversational skills5

Read Aloud to Children on a Regular Basis5

Explore new experiences6

Encourage children to read and write6

Empathic attitude towards children6

Conclusion7

References8

Language Development

Introduction

Language development is a method that starts at a very early age in a human life. Humans start learning language through the environment and the way people around him speak and communicate. Children's language development is a process that moves from simple to complex. By the age of four months, babies get capable of reading lips and starts discriminating speech sounds. Language starts off with simple words without associated meaning, but as children grow, they start using more complex words and also acquire associated meanings.

Language development plays a Vitol role in a children academic life. As children grow, they begin to learn language and they build on a foundation of language development. Children must be provided with an environment and opportunities so that they can develop language and its structure. Most children start to vocalize and verbalize at various ages and at different rates. Children learn their first language without conscious instructions from their parents or teachers. According to a research, children start to learn language when their fetus can recognize the sounds and speech of their mother voice.

Discussion

Language is one of the greatest gifts that parents and teachers give to children. In children, language acquisition is a product of active and complex learning. The child's brain is continuously learning and changing during the first six years of life. There are various theories that explain how children learn to speak and understand language. It is quite evident that no single theory can explain the entire process; however insights can be gained by analyzing the theoretical approaches. (Barnett, 1995)

Theoretical frameworks of language development

There are three main theories of language development. These approaches determine and analyze the language development process in children (Tomasello, 2003). The approaches are discussed below.

Navist theory

The Navist theory argues that language is a unique and complex human accomplishment. It states that every child has an inborn desire to learn language and to explore new things. The Navist theory also states that children have an inborn language acquisition device (LAD), which is located in the brain and helps the child in language development process. The theory also argues that young children learn language effortlessly, but they still lack the mental ability to examine the rules and structure of the language. (Tomasello, 2003)

The theory proposes that LAD allows children to learn and analyze the structure of the language naturally. Though researchers have never ...