Essay On Child Language

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Introduction

Language can be seen or heard. It can be diverse or standard. Language has many uses, functions and meanings. It can be individual or social. Clark (1996, as cited by Hayes and Gee, 2011, p.6) states that language can be made up of a set of rules that enable us to speak grammatically, making language a cognitive phenomenon. Language is diverse; it can be written, spoken, symbolic and even physically felt with fingertips. Language can be heard: oral language has been present since the beginning of time, it is an innate feature of humans and animals. On the contrary, language can be seen: written language has been estimated present for the last 3000-8000 years (Sampson, 1990, as cited by Hayes and Gee, 2011, p.7). Although, written …show more content…

Typically, the first year of a child’s life focuses on motor skills. It is not until the second year, that language development begins to take the main focus on the child’s life. Language is an innate feature that we are all born with, however if a child’s environment is not a loving, positive, safe or happy environment, the development of language may become flawed or disrupted (Shiver, 2016). For this reason, it is essential to provide children with an environment they can trust, and feel safe and secure. This process can be referred to as the nature nurture theory. Research shows us that there are windows of opportunity throughout one’s life to be able to acquire and develop language. The development of syntax and grammar takes place during the preschool years and can end at ages five to six (Shiver, 2016). However, in saying this, the ability to learn new words is always possible and for this reason, new words can be learnt all throughout life. Piaget, the Swiss psychologist, has been extremely influential in the studies of child development. Piaget claimed that there are four stages where children can cognitively function. His studies show that children are born into the Sensorimotor Stage. This stage lasts until the child is around two years old. It is towards the end of this stage that the development of language starts becoming the focus of the child’s life, and up until the age of two, the acquired language is basically cooing or other sounds made by the mouth, until the age of two where language can consist of basic words or sentences. The child’s acquired language is mimicked and copied from their parents and those around them, learning the sound patterns of words and conversations and also the skill of taking turns, which is essential for conversation (Shiver, 2016). The next stage of development defined by Piaget is the Preoperational Stage. This stage lasts

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