Preface: How to use this book Acknowledgements 1 What do children bring to the language acquisition task? Chapter summary Introduction Two different approaches Competence versus performance Some recurring questions Some premises Questions for discussion An activity Further reading 2 How do children communicate before they can use language? Chapter summary Clues for understanding Facial expressions Cries, coos and grunts Infant speech perception Babbling The transition to language First words Gestures Language and gesture Discussion of in-text exercises Questions for discussion Some activities Solutions to and comments on discussion questions and activities Further reading 3 When does language development start? Chapter summary What's in a word? Meaning through word and context Early vocabulary Semantic descriptions of early utterances Arguments for a richer account of early utterances To be or not to be a language Discussion of in-text exercises Questions for discussion Some activities Solutions to and comments on discussion questions and activities Further reading 4 How do young children think language works? Chapter summary Looking at children's language Analysing children's language Discussion of in-text exercises Questions for discussion Some activities Solutions to and comments on discussion questions and activities Further reading
What influences language development? Chapter summary What is input and how much is enough? Input at the right time: the 'critical period' Is active communication necessary? The nature of Baby Talk The value of Baby Talk Universal Grammar Words are more cunning than they let on Discussion of in-text exercises Questions for discussion An activity Solutions to and comments on discussion questions and activity Further reading 6 Do all children learn language the same way? Chapter summary Types of variation Different endpoints Differences in path of development Differences in rate of development Discussion of in-text exercises Questions for discussion Some activities Solutions to and comments on discussion questions Further reading 7 Does it matter which language(s) you learn? Chapter summary Introduction So what's so very different, anyway? A parameter theory of language acquisition How do children become bilingual? Discussion of in-text exercises Questions for discussion Some activities Solutions to and comments on discussion questions and activities Further reading 8 When does language development stop? Chapter summary Later oral language development Pragmatic aspects of later language development Basic steps in learning to read Basic steps in learning to write Metalinguistic development Discussion of in-text exercises Questions for discussion Some activities Solutions to and comments on discussion questions and activities Further reading Appendix 1 Tools for studying children's language Transcription
Mean Length of Utterance calculations T-unit calculations Some dos and don'ts of research design Finding data Bulletin boards Journals in child language Associations Conferences Further reading Appendix 2 Phonetic symbols Consonants Vowels Other symbols Bibliography Index
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