Week 2 11th September 2013 Blog
Developing
Language Hill, Susan (Susan Elizabeth)
Learning to read and
write is an essential part of one’s being: the building of our identity.
Vygotsky (1978) ‘By far the most important sign using
behaviour
in
children’s development is human speech’
Children’s language development is the foundation for
acquired literacy skills used for writing which then communicates meaning to
their world. Language
has five key components:
1.
Phonology: sounds
2.
Syntax: words and
the order of words – grammar rules
3.
Semantics: meaning- the choice of words
4.
Pragmatics:
social communication - What kind of language used in social situations?
5.
Vocabulary:
knowledge of words and their meaning
Example story
relating to semantics: When my sister’s son was two years old, they were driving
in the car on a main freeway. In an instant second a tyre from the truck in
front of their car, fell from the load of tyres it was transporting. The tyre
bounced onto the bonnet of my sister’s car. In shock she verbally announced
that ‘Dom was going to kill her’ (my sister’s husband). At the time
she under estimated the reaction from her two year old son. He immediately burst into tears crying out ‘please
don’t let daddy kill you’. The choice of words described in the situation
is an example of how children interpret language and its concepts.
The Linguistic growth resides in healthy stimulation
through parents, teachers and the environment. Parents encourage a richer vocabulary
by play, reading books and conversation then educators extend the linguistic
growth by a varied curriculum. As educators it is important to be conscious of
theoretical perspectives, socio cultural identity, religious difference,
ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status with a conscious effort not to
express one’s own views when promoting oral language.
References
Developing
Language Hill, Susan (Susan Elizabeth)
2006.
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