Synopses & Reviews
This best-selling book addresses language variations among children, new advances in linguistics and neurology, and the importance of literacy, as well the impact of these issues on our understanding of individual development. In addition, this clearly written and comprehensive book features sections on culturally and linguistically diverse children to reflect the realities of schools in the United States. Developed within a practical framework, Language Development: An Introduction examines every aspect of syntax, morphology, semantics, phonology, and pragmatics.
New features to this edition include:
- A new chapter (Ch. 11) on School-Age Literacy Development.
- Updates to the chapter on Cognitive, Perceptual, and Motor Bases of Early Language and Speech (Ch. 4) that include the latest in brain imaging information to convey links between anatomy, physiology, cognition, and language, as well as the roles these links play in the development of language abnormalities.
- Updated Companion Website that now includes extensive audio examples of child language.
Review
“What I really like about the Owens text is that he goes into enough detail to make it a ‘meaty’ text for the serious student.” —Margery Whites, St. Cloud State University
“The Owens Language Development text provides students with a wealth of current information. I have been satisfied with this text.” — Barbara Weitzner-Lin, State University College of Buffalo
Synopsis
This best-selling book addresses language variations among children, new advances in linguistics and neurology, and the importance of literacy, as well the impact of these issues on our understanding of individual development. In addition, this clearly written and comprehensive book features sections on culturally and linguistically diverse children to reflect the realities of schools in the United States. Developed within a practical framework, Language Development: An Introduction examines every aspect of syntax, morphology, semantics, phonology, and pragmatics.
New features to this edition include:
- A new chapter (Ch. 11) on School-Age Literacy Development.
- Updates to the chapter on Cognitive, Perceptual, and Motor Bases of Early Language and Speech (Ch. 4) that include the latest in brain imaging information to convey links between anatomy, physiology, cognition, and language, as well as the roles these links play in the development of language abnormalities.
- Updated Companion Website that now includes extensive audio examples of child language.
Table of Contents
All chapters begin with “Chapter Objectives” and conclude with “Conclusion,” “Discussions,” and “Reflections.”
Preface
1. The Territory
This Text and You
Speech, Language, and Communication
Properties of Language
Components of Language
2. Describing Language
Behavioral Theory
Psycholinguistic Theory: A Syntactic Model
Psycholinguistic Theory: A Semantic/Cognitive Model
Sociolinguistic Theory
Emergentism
3. Neurological Bases of Speech and Language
Central Nervous System
Language Processing
Theory of Mind
4. Cognitive, Perceptual, and Motor Bases of Early Language and Speech
Which Came First, Cognition or Language?
Neurological Development
Early Cognitive Development
5. The Social and Communicative Bases of Early Language and Speech
Development of Communication: A Chronology
Maternal Communication Behaviors
Interactions between Infant and Caregiver
6. Language-Learning and Teaching Processes and Young Children.
Comprehension, Production, and Cognitive Growth
Child Learning Strategies
Adult Conversational Teaching Techniques
Importance of Play
Cultural and Social Differences
7. A First