What Are the Principles of Language Acquisition & Development?

Language acquisition and development is a key component of a child's general development. Like walking, it is something that your child was not born knowing how to do but will have to do on a daily basis for his entire life. It is also similar to walking in that it is generally learned through modeling other peoples' behavior and general trial and error. Finally, there are a few key components you should be aware of.

  1. Grammar and Sound

    • Two of the key principles that learners need to understand for language learning and acquisition are the fact that languages are a matter of certain sounds carrying certain meanings. This is what distinguishes language from babble, and although it seems intuitive to an adult, a child needs to understand this before he can progress in his language development. Grammar is knowing when to use certain versions of words and what order to use them in. A child needs to understand that these rules are fairly set in stone in order to learn more complex grammar and make himself understood.

    Importance of Interaction

    • Language is a skill that your child will use every day. This means that the best way for him to learn language is to practice it every day. However, it also cannot be a chore for him, as it is not helpful to have a negative attitude about something so important. Interaction and modeling are, therefore, the best ways for your child to learn language. Talk to him all the time, emphasizing the differences between words, and always speak to him as if you were speaking to a peer -- avoid baby talk.

    Memorization Meaninglessness

    • Although it may seem valuable for child to be told to memorize words in order to learn a language, this is not actually the case. This is because language is not a matter of repeating sets of words. Rather, it is a matter of having access to a set of words that can be used at any time. When trying to encourage language development, the focus should be on word use rather than on word memorization -- if a child makes up a word or uses a wrong word in the right place, this shows that he is learning the fundamental rules of language, which are far more important than simple vocabulary, which will follow these fundamentals naturally.

    Experimentation

    • Although language does have a set of hard-and-fast rules, this does not mean that you need to be rigid. Language is ultimately a creative exercise when it is used on a day-to-day basis, as a speaker searches his vocabulary for the best word or set of words to describe a situation. So, some experimentation and trial-and-error is perfectly acceptable, as this helps to teach a child the principles of day-to-day language use.

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