Spoken Language

Language can be seen and heard; it can be diverse or standard. With this in mind, discuss the different roles that language can have in a child's life.

Introduction

Written and spoken language can both be communicated in a formal, colloquial or slang register, depending on the audience, purpose, context or situation (Grellier & Goerke, 2014, p. 172). Language includes principles of spoken communication in varied forms and particular discourses, as well as elements that encompass non-verbal cues such as symbols, signals, gestures and movement, which attempt to demonstrate experiences, perform arts, communicate and interact with the immediate environment, as well as the global community. The English language contrasts between social ranks,

Fifty-five percent of the manner in which people converse, relies on much more than just literal words (Hofstetter, n. d.). Eye contact is the most significant feature of ‘language that can be seen,’ as it is an indication of participation in communication and engagement. Facial expressions have the ability to enhance or eliminate various emotions that an individual can experience (Bowden, 2013). For example, the contagious nature of a smile communicates a positive emotion, while a frown corresponds with sentiments of anger or frustration. These universal signals have been transformed into emojis through the digital world, whereby individuals can convey language by means of simple pictorials of facial expressions, hence being

Tallal affirmed that, “from the time we’re born, our interaction with our parents…our interaction with our sense-of-self, are very wrapped up with the language system” (childrenofthecode, 2012). Children innately learn the language of their culture without formal instruction, predominantly by listening to the language that is being spoken and producing meaning to what is being said (Linguistic Society of America, 2012). During this stage phonological awareness and semantics promptly increase, and language qualities such as understanding syllables, words and syntax develop rapidly (O’Donnell et al., 2016, p. 127).

From a cognitive perspective, Piaget also claims that children’s language develops rapidly during preschool and early primary school years involving the construction of symbolic schemas which are the essential factors required in order to make sense of their environment (O’Donnell et al., 2016, p.p. 105-106). This semiotic function is an essential measure of language development in the early stages because children create language that is representational, giving meaning to the cultural tools to which they are exposed (Linguistic Society of America,