Synopses & Reviews
This study takes a comprehensive look at where and when children acquire a first language. It integrates social and cognitive approaches to how children analyze, understand, and produce sounds, words, and sentences as they learn to use language to cooperate and achieve goals. A usage-based approach to considering what children learn emphasizes pragmatic factors in language use, and includes research on word-formation, and on bilingualism and dialect-choice.
Review
"[A] comprehensive, up-to-date picture of child language acquisition... The writing is consistently excellent. Highly recommended." Choice
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 441-490) and indexes.
Synopsis
First Language Acquisition takes a comprehensive look at where and when children acquire a first language. It integrates social and cognitive approaches to how children analyze, understand, and produce sounds, words, and sentences, as they learn to use language to cooperate and achieve goals. And it takes a usage-based approach in considering what children learn. It emphasizes pragmatic factors in language use, and includes research on word-formation, and on bilingualism and dialect-choice.
Synopsis
First Language Acquisition takes a comprehensive look at where and when children acquire a first language. It integrates social and cognitive approaches to how children analyze, understand, and produce sounds, words, and sentences, as they learn to use language to cooperate and achieve goals.
Table of Contents
1. Acquiring languages: issues and questions; 2. In conversation with children; 3. Starting on language: perception; 4. Early words; 5. Sounds in words: production; 6. Words and meanings; 7. First word combinations, first constructions; 8. Modulating word meanings; 9. Adding complexity within clauses; 10. Combining clauses: more complex constructions; 11. Constructing words; 12. Honing conversational skills; 13. Do things with language; 14. Language and dialect; 15. Specialization for language; 16. Acquisition and change; 17. Glossary; Bibliography.