Language DevelopmentLecture Notes: 10/14/14Communicative Competence● Pragmatic knowledge● Discourse knowledge● Sociolinguistic knowledgeDevelopment of Conversational Skills● At first, children respond to questions and statements with actions● Gradually, learn to respond to talk with talk, and to respond differently to different kinds of talk● In general, children’s understanding of “conversation” outstrips their understanding of what is being said○ By 2 yrs, children understand that conversation is based on taking turns, and thatwhat one says in one’s turn is based on what the previous speaker has said during their turn○ By 2, they also learn how to introduce topics into the conversation; however, a lotof the responses are non-contingent (on a different topic)● By 5 yrs, children learn how to repair miscommunication through verbal means (repetition, revision, and substitution); responses become much more contingent (on the same topic)Narratives● Narrative = verbal description of a past event● Involves linked utterances organized thematically● Involves event structure or script knowledge (e.g., steps involved in doing laundry; steps involved in taking a bath; etc.)● Involves microstructure and macrostructure● Microstructure = linguistic features within oral narratives○ E.g., use of complex syntax; use of cohesion devices (..and then; after that…)● Macrostructure = overall story organizationStory Grammar (Narrative Macrostructure)● Story = setting + episode structure● episode structure = initiating event + internal response + plan + attempt + consequence + reactionSociolinguistic Competence● Particular settings and conversation partners involve specific styles of language = registers○ E.g., an 8 yr old saying to a 2 month old infant: “It would be awfully nice of you to get out of my way, my dear Mr. Jones.”● Language use is adjusted based on the age of the listener, setting, topic, etc.● Using language appropriately requires control over the different situation-driven styles, and the knowledge of when to use a particular registerDevelopment of Sociolinguistic Competence● What we thought:○ Piaget’s “egocentric child”: Children have limited abilities to attend to features of the social setting, and to modify their speech accordingly○ 4-5 years olds cannot adjust the level of detail they provide based on the situation (object-description to the visually-separated listener is egocentric: e.g., “daddy’s shirt”)○ A 6 year old is incapable of adjusting his language when explaining something to a 4 year old● But it’s not that simple:○ Children’s child-directed speech■ Just because a 6 yr old cannot provide a clear explanation, does not mean that he is unaware that different listeners need different messages■ Children do talk differently to peers than to adults, and to younger childrenthan to peers● Speech of 4 yr olds to adults has a longer MLU, and includes more complex constructions; speech to 2 yr olds includes attention-grabbing devices○ Requests■ Requests can be direct (Give me a fork), less direct (I need a fork), even less direct (Can I have a fork?), and indirect (Someone forgot to put out forks)■ The type of request often depends on the status of the listener (higher status incurs politeness and less direct style■ Children in the telegraphic stage can use different types of request● E.g., “More juice” vs. “Carol thirsty”. Once questions come in, 3 yr olds can ask “Can I have juice?”■ Children modify the style of requests depending on the status of the listener:● E.g., direct requests when talking to same-age peers; addition of “please” when talking to older peers; questions when talking to adults. Direct requests with mothers, but less direct with fathers.Where does reading fit in Language Development?● Literacy is NOT the “natural next step” in the acquisition of human language● Oral language is anywhere from 50,000 to a million years old (~100,000 BC); written language is at most 5,000 years old● Every human society has language; many do not have written language● Transmission of literacy requires formal schooling, whereas transmission of oral language requires only interaction● While it is less intrinsic to human nature, literacy builds on oral language skills.Why study reading?● We are a literate society● Only 4% of children with reading difficulties finish school● Individuals with reading difficulties are overrepresented among those who have criminal records● Income levels are reflective of literacy