The document summarizes key points about language development from birth to age 2. It discusses how language develops through social interactions, innate abilities, and imitation. As infants develop receptive language, they begin to understand words and respond to tone and pitch before meaning. Between 1-2 years, children start using expressive language through fast mapping and developing grammar intrinsically. Fostering language involves describing experiences, reading books, and engaging children in dialogue. Bilingualism and cultural influences are also addressed.

1. Chapter 9:
Language
McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

2. The Progression of Language Development
• Language:
– Is the systematic arrangement of arbitrary symbols that
has generalized meaning
– Represents experiences and events through abstract
symbols and words
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3. The Progression of Language Development
• Social interactions are crucial to language
development.
• The ability to acquire language seems to be
innate.
• Maturation aids in the ability to learn words and
understand symbols.
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4. The Progression of Language Development
• The “three I’s” of language development
– Innate abilities have to be present
– Children need to Interact with others
– Imitation occurs as a result of these interactions
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5. Receptive Language: 0 to 1 year
• Infants react to being spoken to from birth.
– Initially, this response is more to the pitch and tone of
the voice than the meaning behind the words.
• True receptive language means children respond
to the meaning behind the words.
• When children are spoken to meaningfully, they
understand what is being said.
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6. Expressive Language—1 year to first words
• Fast Mapping
– Fast Mapping is a process in which a young child uses
context cues to make a quick and reasonably accurate
guess about the meaning of an unfamiliar word.
Do you remember fast mapping when you were young?
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7. Expressive Language—1 year to first words
• Children refine language and develop grammar
rules on their own.
– Children learn these rules from genuine conversations
with adults.
– You don’t need to emphasize rules.
– You should not correct grammar errors.
How did you
learn grammar
rules?
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8. What Language Allows a Child to Do
• Language allows children to:
– Clarify needs and gather information
– Label their experiences
– Increase their adaptation and coping skills
– Develop reasoning skills
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9. The Brain and Early Language Development
• Nature and nurture work together for healthy
brain growth.
• Language development depends on early neural
connections.
– These connections are stimulated through responsive
interactions with others.
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10. The Brain and Early Language Development
• During the first few months, a child’s brain is very
responsive and flexible (neuroplastic).
• As young children acquire language, their brains
become increasingly specialized.
• Experience relates to vocabulary.
– Infants need to hear words from people around them.
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11. Fostering Language Development
• Engage young children in dialogue during caregiving and
play times.
• Describe what is happening as it occurs—use labels that
children need to learn.
• Talk with young children; go beyond the entertainment
approach—really listen.
• Provide young children with interesting experiences that
can provide conversation material.
• Read books aloud.
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12. Early Literacy
• Literacy: The ability to listen and speak, and
eventually to read and write.
• Children develop an awareness of oral and
written language in an interrelated way.
• Oral language is fundamental to literacy.
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13. Early Literacy
• To support literacy development:
– Be sensitive to child-initiated literacy and language interactions
– Use story book/picture book sharing as a tool to foster emergent
literacy
– Understand that the family setting, where parents express
pleasure in reading and writing, plays an important role in
emergent literacy
Would Vygotsky agree that sharing behaviors
are correlated with the development of language
and literacy?
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14. Cultural Differences, Bilingualism, and
Dual Language Learners
• Children in child care are influenced by the
caregiver’s culture.
• A child can be bicultural and still be English-
speaking, or may be bicultural and bilingual.
• Infants can learn 2 languages from day one.
• Bilingualism is a skill to be valued and nurtured.
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15. Cultural Differences, Bilingualism, and
Dual Language Learners
• If bilingualism is a goal:
– Establish a relationship in the target language early on
– Consider having two caregivers related to the child,
one in each language
– Be concerned about the quality of verbal
communication in your environment
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16. Children with Special Needs
• Supporting Parents and Families
– The family is the most important influence on the
development and learning of any young child.
– Effective partnerships with families are build on trust
and develop over time.
– Family activities need to be supported and
encouraged.
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17. Children with Special Needs
• Supporting Parents and Families
– Families can feel strengthened by concrete information
– Caregivers should provide observational information to
parents so they can “see” their child’s progress.
– Caregivers need to respect family privacy.
– Caregivers are vital, but are not therapists!
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18. Online Learning Center
• See Chapter 9 of the text’s Online Learning
Center for chapter quizzes, Theory Into Action
activities, Video Observations, and more.
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