Child Language Development

The acquisition, development and use of language is universal. It is pivotal in being able to communicate between others and is seen and heard in all cultures and countries. The notion that language is seen is undeniable, for example; language is seen in printed format such as advertisements, books, letters and lyrics. Printed language comprises of numbers, letters, symbols and pictures and can together or separately tell a story or communicate a message. Furthermore, language is observed through gestures, body language, dance, moving images and sign language. Audible language consists of spoken words; singing, whistling, morse code, music and movies. All modes of language assist in the delivery of meaningful information (Anstey & Bull, 2006).

By combining these components, a child is on their way to productively communicating (Fellowes & Oakley, 2010). From the moment of birth a system of communication begins to develop with sounds, gestures, signs and body language. A newborns cry expresses a need or emotion and eye contact is a visible indication that they are engaged in conversation. In the months preceding, vocalisations will begin to develop by way of cooing and babbling, both which involve the use of the sound system of phonology. Social interactions from parents and caregivers are crucial in early childhood and benefit linguistic and turn taking skills. Commonly, gestures such as pointing and clapping are used in the early stages of development and show that children can comprehend earlier than they can communicate. Pairing oral language with paralinguistics will help children grasp the semantics and morphology of words (Duchesne, McMaugh, Bochner, & Krause, 2012). Equally imperative in forming communicative language functions is literacy. Pertaining to language which is written, spoken, visual and audible, children benefit from an ability to combine, decipher and construct them in various discourses. Through reading, modelling and scaffolding, parents, caregivers and teachers present learning opportunities and make available lessons in syntax and pragmatics.

Dependent on country and culture, languages differ in pronunciation and dialects, grammar and meaning. Increasing rates of children come from immigrant backgrounds, being either bilingual or multilingual, which studies show has both social and cognitive benefits. Maintaining a child’s colloquial language is important in preserving their cultural, social and community identities. Furthermore, it facilitates collaboration and understanding between multicultural families and communities. Regardless of what language a child is to first learn, the systems for acquisition are the same. In order for a child to become fluent in a vernacular language, their environments and surroundings must be enriched with communication, visual and audible language and literacy cues. Theorist’s believed that; amount, context, style and perspective of language children are exposed to will regulate how well they obtain and effectively employ the functions of language. Children for whom, English is a second language, may not begin to acquire any secondary language skills until they are presented in a setting in which English predominant. Therefore, many children may not hear an English word until they are enrolled in a childcare centre or preschool. From this point, a child will begin to gather information about the different language discourses they encounter, whether that be in an