The document discusses the process of language acquisition in children from babbling to producing multi-word sentences. It covers 5 key areas: 1) Learning through imitation, where children repeat words and phrases but not full sentences. 2) Learning through correction, which has little impact on the child's speech. 3) Developing morphology between ages 2-2.5 as children learn parts of speech. 4) Developing syntax in three stages - forming questions, negatives, and more complex structures. 5) Developing semantics as children refine word meanings beyond initial overextensions.

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27. Phonation
Gooing, expansion
Canonical
Babbling
First
words

43. THE ACQUISITION
PROCESS
Learning
through
imitation
Learning
through
correction
Developing
morphology
Developing
syntax
Developing
semantics

44. 1) Learning through
imitation
• Basis of child’s speech production used by
young children.
• They may repeat single words or phrases, but
not the sentences structures.
• It is likely that the children understand what
are the sentences but they express what they
understand by their own.
• For examples :
• Mum is hungry = mum hungry
• The cat is sleeping = cat sleep

45. 2) Learning through
correction• It is unlikely that adult “corrections” are a very
effective determiner of how the child speaks.
• The child will continue to use a personally
constructed form, despite the adult’s repetition
of what the correct form should be.
• Example :
Child : My teacher holded the baby rabbits.
Mother : Did you say your teacher held the baby rabbits?
Child :Yes.
Mother : Did you say she held them tightly?
Child : No, she holded them loosely.

46. 3) Developing morphology
• By the time a child is two-and-a-half years old, he or
she is going beyond telegraphic speech and the child
indicates the grammatical function of the nouns and
verbs used.

47. 4) Developing syntax
• In the formation of questions and the use
of negatives.
• The child goes through with 3 stages :
Stage 1 occurs
between 18 –
26 months
Stage 2 occurs
between 22 - 30
months
Stage 3 occurs
between 24 - 40
months

48. Forming questions Forming negatives
First stage :
Wh- form (Where,Who) to the
beginning of the expression.
Examples :Where mummy?
Who is that person?
First stage :
A simple strategy of putting NO or
NOT at the beginning.
Examples : not a teddy bear
not sit here
Second stage :
More complex expressions can be
formed.Wh-forms, such as What and
Why.
Examples : What is mummy doing?
Why daddy is not home
yet?
Second stage :
Additional negative forms “don’t”
and “can’t” appear, and with no and
not.
Examples : He not bite you
You cant dance
Third stage :
The movement of the auxiliary in
English questions (I can have… ->
Can I have…?)
Generally quite close to adult model.
Examples : Can I have a piece?
Third stage :
Other auxiliary forms such as didn’t
and won’t.
Examples : I didn’t buy it.
She won’t let go.

49. 5) Developing semantics
• During the two-word stage, children use their
limited vocabulary to refer to a large number
of unrelated objects.
• Overextension : overextend the meaning of a
word on the basis of similarities of shape,
sound and size.
• Example : use ball to refer an apple, an egg or
a ball.
BACK TO
QUESTION 3