Language Semantics and Pragmatics

• Study of language meaning; includes vocabulary, knowledge of antonyms/synonyms, humor, figurative language, and deictic words.
• Used to sort words, including concepts like recurrence ("more"), rejection, and causality.
• Overgeneralization often occurs early in language development, where a child categorizes items too broadly (e.g., all round items are "balls").
• Under-extension, occurs early in language development, where a child categorizes items too narrowly (e.g., only Oreos are "cookies").
• Involves autobiographical and experiential memory, and understanding events.
• Primarily verbal, contains word/symbol definitions, and depends on world knowledge.
• The ability to logically order and organize utterances.
• A directly formed command or question.
• Indirect requests are used to convey politeness.
• How utterances relate, concerning the connected flow of language.
• A form of discourse where the speaker tells a story.
• Speech with characteristics that help babies attend and respond; initially higher pitch, pitch fluctuations, slower rate, increased clarity/fluency; shorter/simpler utterances, longer pauses; words refer to immediate events/objects.

Pragmatics

• Study of rules governing language use in social situations; emphasizes language functions/uses over structure.
• Language functions include labeling, protesting, and commenting.
• Utterance functions provide adequate information without redundancy, ensure coherent statements, involve turn-taking, maintain topics, and repair communication breakdowns.
• Language context depends on location, audience, and what/who is present; heavily influenced by culture.

Caregiver's Role in Language Development

Important Interactions/Skills

• Eye contact
• Turn-taking
• Motivation to communicate
• High-quality interactions with much talking and caregiver responsiveness.

Birth – 1 Year

Birth – 3 Months

• Exhibits a startle response to loud sounds.
• Visually tracks sounds.
• Attends to and turns head toward voice/sound.
• Smiles reflexively.
• Cries for assistance.
• Quiets when picked up.
• Ceases activity/coos when spoken to (by 2 months).
• Predominantly vocalizes vowels.

4–6 Months

• Responds by raising arms when "come here" is said and reaches (by 6 months).
• Looks toward named family members.
• Explores vocal mechanism through vocal play: growling, squealing, yelling, and raspberries (bilabial trills).
• Begins producing adult-like vowels.
• Starts marginal babbling; produces double syllables; brings lips together for /m/.
• Varies vocalization pitch.
• Responds to name (5 months).
• Vocalizes pleasure and displeasure.
• Changes vocalization volume, pitch, and rate.

7–9 Months

• Looks at common objects when named.
• Comprehends "no."
• Starts using gestures; plays pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo; shakes head for "no."
• Uses a wide variety of sound combinations.
• Uses inflected vocal play and intonation patterns.
• Imitates intonation and speech sounds (9 months).
• Uses variegated babbling (9 months).
• Uncovers hidden toys (beginning of object permanence).

10 – 12 Months

• Understands up to 10 words (e.g., no, bye-bye); understands one simple direction, especially with a gesture.
• Starts relating symbols to objects; uses first true word.
• Gives object upon request.
• Obeys some commands.
• Understands and follows simple directions regarding body action.
• Looks in the correct place for hidden toys (object permanence).
• Turns head instantly to own name.
• Gestures/vocalizes to indicate wants/needs.
• Jabbers loudly; uses varied sounds and intonations; varies pitch when vocalizing.
• Uses all consonant and vowel sounds in vocal play.

Pragmatics

• Infants develop pragmatic skills through stages:
• Perlocutionary behavior: "signals" affect the listener but lack communication intent (e.g., reflexive smiling).
• Illocutionary behavior (9-10 months): signalling is used to carry out socially organized action (e.g., pointing and laughing); intentional communication.
• Locutionary stage (12 months): begins to use words.
• Joint reference is established as the ability to focus attention on an event or objects as directed by another person; caregivers begin by establishing eye contact in the early months; later, they point to or name objects.