Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Language Development: An Introduction 1
Chapter 2 The Science and Theory of Language Development 16
Chapter 3 Building Blocks of Language 32
Chapter 4 Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology of Language 52
Chapter 5 Infancy: Let the Language Achievements Begin 69
Chapter 6 Toddlerhood: Exploring the World and Experimenting with
Language 86
Chapter 7 Preschool: Building Literacy on Language 101
Chapter 8 School-Age Years and Beyond: Developing Later Language 115
Chapter 9 Language Differences and Disorders 131
Answer Key 156
,Chapter 1: Language Development: An Introduction
Summary
Language is the socially shared and rule-governed code of arbitrary symbols that humans use
as a representational code for thought and communication. The human brain uses language as a
representational tool to store information and to carry out many cognitive processes, such as
reasoning, hypothesizing, and planning. As a communication tool, language provides a
productive and efficient means for sharing information with other people. Some experts consider
the human capacity for language to reside in a particular module of the brain; other researchers
contend that a more general neural network serves language processes.
Language, speech, hearing, and communication are different albeit interrelated processes.
Speech is the voluntary neuromuscular behavior that allows humans to express language and is
essential for spoken communication. Hearing is the perception of sound, which includes both
general auditory perception and speech perception. Speech perception involves specialized
processors in the brain that have evolved specifically to respond to human speech and language.
Communication is the act of sharing information among two or more people. Although
communication need not involve speech, language, and hearing, the capacity for humans to use
these processes to share information makes human communication the most sophisticated among
all species.
Language comprises three major domains: content, form, and use. Content is the meaning
of language, including the specific words people use and the concepts represented by words and
groups of words. Form is how words, sentences, and sounds are organized and arranged to
convey content. Form includes phonology (rules governing the sounds used to make syllables
and words), syntax (rules governing the internal organization of sentences), and morphology
(rules governing the internal organization of words and syllables). Use describes the functions
served by language, or how people draw on language functionally to meet personal and social
needs.
Several remarkable features of language make it particularly fascinating for both
researchers and practitioners. First is the acquisition rate of language; young children exhibit a
striking capacity for developing language rapidly and efficiently. Second is the universality of
language. Language is ubiquitous among world communities, and every human culture has one
or more languages that its members share. The third feature is species specificity. Language is a
uniquely human capacity; no other animal species shares this aptitude. The fourth feature is
semanticity. Human language allows people to represent events that are decontextualized, or
removed from the present, including not only real events of the past or future, but also events and
concepts that are wholly imaginary and abstract. The fifth feature is productivity or the principle
of combination which is how the rule-governed code of language provides its users with a
generative code by which they can combine a small number of discrete units (e.g., phonemes,
morphemes) into seemingly infinite novel creations.
Comparison of the language achievements of any two persons, whether children or
adults, will reveal considerable individual differences in the content, form, and use of language.
Language differences and language disorders are terms that describe this variability in language
achievements among individuals. Language differences occur because of the natural variability
in language outcomes that result from both input differences, e.g., different dialects, languages,
and social differences, e.g., gender, family composition, as well as genetic differences. A
2
, language disorder becomes evident when an individual shows significant difficulties in language
achievement; such disorders may result from heritable language impairment, developmental
disability, and/or brain injury.
Focus Questions
1. What is language?
2. How does language relate to speech, hearing, and communication?
3. What are the major domains of language?
4. What are some remarkable features of language?
5. What are language differences and language disorders?
Key Terms
acoustics gender differences phonotactics
acquired brain injury General American English pragmatics
acquisition rate hearing preintentional communication
agrammaticism heritable language productivity
impairment
allophone iconic communication receiver
articulation inner language referent
audition intensity referential communication
auditory perception intentional communication resonation
bilingualism language respiration
coarticulation language difference responsiveness
code switching language impairment semanticity
communication lexicon semantics
communication breakdowns linguistic feedback sender
content model species specificity
contextualized modularity specific language impairment
conversational repair monolinguism speech
critical period morphemes speech perception
decontextualized morphology symbolic communication
dialects nonlinguistic feedback syntax
domain specific oral communication traumatic brain injury
extralinguistic feedback paralinguistic feedback twin studies
feedback phonation universality
form phoneme use
frequency phonology written language
Presentation Outline
3
Chapter 1 Language Development: An Introduction 1
Chapter 2 The Science and Theory of Language Development 16
Chapter 3 Building Blocks of Language 32
Chapter 4 Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology of Language 52
Chapter 5 Infancy: Let the Language Achievements Begin 69
Chapter 6 Toddlerhood: Exploring the World and Experimenting with
Language 86
Chapter 7 Preschool: Building Literacy on Language 101
Chapter 8 School-Age Years and Beyond: Developing Later Language 115
Chapter 9 Language Differences and Disorders 131
Answer Key 156
,Chapter 1: Language Development: An Introduction
Summary
Language is the socially shared and rule-governed code of arbitrary symbols that humans use
as a representational code for thought and communication. The human brain uses language as a
representational tool to store information and to carry out many cognitive processes, such as
reasoning, hypothesizing, and planning. As a communication tool, language provides a
productive and efficient means for sharing information with other people. Some experts consider
the human capacity for language to reside in a particular module of the brain; other researchers
contend that a more general neural network serves language processes.
Language, speech, hearing, and communication are different albeit interrelated processes.
Speech is the voluntary neuromuscular behavior that allows humans to express language and is
essential for spoken communication. Hearing is the perception of sound, which includes both
general auditory perception and speech perception. Speech perception involves specialized
processors in the brain that have evolved specifically to respond to human speech and language.
Communication is the act of sharing information among two or more people. Although
communication need not involve speech, language, and hearing, the capacity for humans to use
these processes to share information makes human communication the most sophisticated among
all species.
Language comprises three major domains: content, form, and use. Content is the meaning
of language, including the specific words people use and the concepts represented by words and
groups of words. Form is how words, sentences, and sounds are organized and arranged to
convey content. Form includes phonology (rules governing the sounds used to make syllables
and words), syntax (rules governing the internal organization of sentences), and morphology
(rules governing the internal organization of words and syllables). Use describes the functions
served by language, or how people draw on language functionally to meet personal and social
needs.
Several remarkable features of language make it particularly fascinating for both
researchers and practitioners. First is the acquisition rate of language; young children exhibit a
striking capacity for developing language rapidly and efficiently. Second is the universality of
language. Language is ubiquitous among world communities, and every human culture has one
or more languages that its members share. The third feature is species specificity. Language is a
uniquely human capacity; no other animal species shares this aptitude. The fourth feature is
semanticity. Human language allows people to represent events that are decontextualized, or
removed from the present, including not only real events of the past or future, but also events and
concepts that are wholly imaginary and abstract. The fifth feature is productivity or the principle
of combination which is how the rule-governed code of language provides its users with a
generative code by which they can combine a small number of discrete units (e.g., phonemes,
morphemes) into seemingly infinite novel creations.
Comparison of the language achievements of any two persons, whether children or
adults, will reveal considerable individual differences in the content, form, and use of language.
Language differences and language disorders are terms that describe this variability in language
achievements among individuals. Language differences occur because of the natural variability
in language outcomes that result from both input differences, e.g., different dialects, languages,
and social differences, e.g., gender, family composition, as well as genetic differences. A
2
, language disorder becomes evident when an individual shows significant difficulties in language
achievement; such disorders may result from heritable language impairment, developmental
disability, and/or brain injury.
Focus Questions
1. What is language?
2. How does language relate to speech, hearing, and communication?
3. What are the major domains of language?
4. What are some remarkable features of language?
5. What are language differences and language disorders?
Key Terms
acoustics gender differences phonotactics
acquired brain injury General American English pragmatics
acquisition rate hearing preintentional communication
agrammaticism heritable language productivity
impairment
allophone iconic communication receiver
articulation inner language referent
audition intensity referential communication
auditory perception intentional communication resonation
bilingualism language respiration
coarticulation language difference responsiveness
code switching language impairment semanticity
communication lexicon semantics
communication breakdowns linguistic feedback sender
content model species specificity
contextualized modularity specific language impairment
conversational repair monolinguism speech
critical period morphemes speech perception
decontextualized morphology symbolic communication
dialects nonlinguistic feedback syntax
domain specific oral communication traumatic brain injury
extralinguistic feedback paralinguistic feedback twin studies
feedback phonation universality
form phoneme use
frequency phonology written language
Presentation Outline
3
