Language Development - University of Nicosia Medical School

Language and other Aspects of Development Dr Stelios Georgiades, AFBP’sS, C.Psychol, Professor of Clinical Psychology Language …. regardless of whether it is written, spoken or signed is fundamental to the creation of communities. As humans began...

Language and other Aspects of Development Dr Stelios Georgiades, AFBP’sS, C.Psychol, Professor of Clinical Psychology Language …. regardless of whether it is written, spoken or signed is fundamental to the creation of communities. As humans began to live in groups, the ability to communicate became essential. There are five components of language: 1. Phonology. 2. Morphology. 3. Semantics. 4. Syntax. 5. Pragmatics. 1. Phonology: Phonology refers to the actual sound of language. In the English language there are about 40 speech sounds or phonemes. Many more exist in other languages. Children must learn to produce and recognised the sounds of language, separating them from environmental noises and other and other human created sounds like sneezing and coughing. Also they need to learn when subtle differences between speech sounds represent a change in meaning or not. 2. Morphology: Morphology refers to the structure of words. Many words are composed of multiple building blocks called morphemes, each of which connotes a particular meaning. Example: Consider the word “redesigned”. Can be broken down in three morphemes: re – indicating to do again; design – the verb root. ed – indicating an action in past. 3. Semantics: Semantics refers to the association of meaning with a word. A child must learn that certain combinations of phonemes represent certain physical objects or events and that words may refer to entire categories. Eg., animals 4. Syntax: Syntax refers how words are put together to form sentences. Children must be able to distinguish that the sentence, John has only three pieces of candy. Has a different meaning than Only John has three pieces of candy. 5. Pragmatics: Pragmatics refers to the dependence of language on context and pre exiting knowledge. In other words, the manner in which we speak may differ depending on the audience and our relationship to the audience. Example: Asking for a seat on the bus. Language Development: To effectively interact with the society, a child must learn to communicate through language; whether oral or signed. An important pre cursor of language is bubbling. Almost without exception, children, including deaf children, spontaneously begin to bubble during their first year. Hearing children: Reaches its highest frequency 9-12 mths Deaf Children: Verbal babbling ceases soon after it begins. The timeline of language acquisition is fairly consistent among children. 12-18 months add 1 word per month 18 months explosion of language (child learns dozens of words) 18-20 mths begin to combine words to form basic sentences. From “apple” to “that apple” By the age of 2 or 3 years children can speak in longer sentences. Vocabulary grows exponentially. As child creates longer sentences grammatical errors increase. This is the period where the child internalises the complex rules of grammar. Example: It is funner instead of more fun - Observational and Operant Conditioning - These theories explain learning and meaning of words but they do not explain complex grammar - Nativism: An Innate predisposition towards language - Critical period between 2-puberty. Later training largely ineffective. - Chomsky's theory of Language Acquisition Devise (LAD). - Support from animal studies - No brain region in which LAD is located - Interactionism - Nature and nurture Influence of language on Cognition -Whorfian Hypothesis Language affects our thinking. - Vygotsky's Theory of Social Development - The role of social interaction in cognitive development - The role of culture - The role of language in learning - Theory of Mind - Difficulty of children to understand that others might have knowledge different than their own or that others do not know what they thing - In medical practice this should be taken into consideration when dealing with young children Children’s understanding of illness vary according to age and stage of development. 2-4 Phenomenism (particular objects appear to cause illness) 4-7 Contagion (illness is caused by proximity to ill people or objects) 7-9 Contamination (illness is caused by physical contact with ill people – may be seen as a form of punishment) 9-11 Internalisation (illness is located within the body but may be caused by external factors (e.g., cold) 11-16 Physiological (illness is caused by mulfunction of organs or systems that may be due to infections) 16+ Psychophysiological (psychological factors such as stress and fatigue may affect physiological processes rather than only being an outcome)