How to Describe Language Development

The simple definition of language development is that it is the development of language; but, obviously, the reality is substantially more complex than that, so explain its finer details to the people around you in a clear, coherent manner. Explain language development in a way that highlights its fundamentals, what to look for and what a typical language development progression is. This will help them apply their new language development knowledge in their day-to-day life.

Instructions

    • 1

      Explain the difference between speaking and listening. Small children---particularly infants---learn how to understand language long before they master the muscle control to actually speak. So make it clear that it is normal for an infant to hear and respond to his own name but not to actually speak.

    • 2

      Highlight the importance of baby talk. However, make sure you explain that baby talk is called "baby talk" for a reason---babies speak it. While a baby babbles in an incoherent manner, talk to him in plain everyday language. Babies need to hear the language properly in order to know what to model.

    • 3

      Describe the order of progression in language development. Children usually learn nouns first, as these are more concrete parts of their vocabulary. So if a 2-year-old's vocabulary is almost completely composed of nouns and her sentences do not have a lot of action in them, don't worry. Less-tangible verbs will come with time.

    • 4

      Explain the importance of building blocks. Children learn nouns and verbs and basic sentence construction before they move on to more complex things like tenses. It is more important that they're speaking at all than whether they're speaking correctly.

    • 5

      Look for the connections between speech and an understanding of the value of speech. A 1-year-old should understand why he needs to be talking rather than just repeating things. If a child doesn't understand why he should be speaking, his language skills won't develop as quickly.

    • 6

      Listen for language with emotional content. Emotional language is the first step toward complex language development, as children begin their speaking lives by talking about how they feel about things. So if an 18-month-old is using more emotive language than concrete language, it's not a reason to worry; emotive language is normal.

    • 7

      Explain that full language development doesn't come until around 8 years of age. This is when a child begins to tell stories, describe things using correct sentence structure and tenses, and controls his speed, pitch and volume.

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