Language Development In Children

Developmental psycholinguistic is a branch of psycholinguistic which studies child language.

It has attempted to give explanation of how children can learn their native language so well
and in just short time. All children learn to talk. This natural tendency to acquire language is
a gift.

1. The babling stage

The neonate comes into the world crying. So, crying is the earliest form of infant
vocalization.but, after only a few weeks of experience with language, infants begin to
vocalize in addition to crying.
2. Babling to speech
As infant grow older they do three things with the sounds they once bubbled 1)
Maintain the babbled repertoire, 2) lose the sounds not used in their language, and 3)
learn to produce non repertoire consonants and their sequences.
3. One word stage
Children ussualy start to say their first words around 10-12 months old. They begin to
imitate more exatcly the sounds made by the adults. The emergence of first word is
indicatedby the childrens ability to controlsspeech articulators

Children acquire their language through. At least four stage babling, one word stage, two
word stage, and telegraphic speech. These stages are universal to children.babbling stage
begins when children approximately 6 months old.
Caretaker Speech
In the early life, the center of childrens speech environment is their parents or caratakers.
What their parents say to children provide them with information about the structure and
function of the language they are to acquire.

1. The notion of caretaker speech

Caretaker speech is a sort of speech that children receive when they are still very
young. In others word, caretaker speech is a speech addressed to infants by adults.
Caretaker speech is also often refferedto as motherese, care giver speech,adulttochild
language and child directed.
2. Characteristic of care takerspeech
Thespeech which adultsaddressed to young children hasa number distinctive
characteristics. As mentioned before that adults generally talk to young children about
here and now.
1) Some words are easier for children to pronounce then others
2) Somewords are more useful for children than others
3) Some wordsare hardto understand and best avoided
3. Baby talk
Baby talk is a very special, but limited instance of caretaker speech. It is a special
subset of language which people assume as appropriate for use only to very young
children. Aby talk often involves the use vocabulary which is over simplified and
reduced.

The language addressed to very young children by parentsor other adults iscalled a caretaker
speech. It becomes the concern of psycholinguistic since it has specific characteristic.
Language and brain
A great number of attempts have been made by scientists to explore human brain its structure,
size, and functions. Steinberg have expored several methods which have been used for such
investigations.

Brain structure

The brain of the avreage human adult weights is from 1 to 1,5 kg or2,25 to3,35pounds, it
increaases in weight most rapidly between ages 1 and 2.it has attained 80% of its adults
weights by 100% by age 16.

1) Frontal lobe contains the areas that controlmovements,namely the primaly motor
cortex, the pre motor cortex and speech production
2) Pariental lobe contains the primary somethestic cortex which responsible for body
sensation.
3) Temporal lobe contains the primary audioterix involved in hearing
4) Oppcital lobe visual cortex which processes visual information

The brain exploration has been furthered by the development of technologically advaced the
methods such as computerized, positron emission tomography, magnetic, events related
potentials.