儿童语言发展引论

   儿童如何学习语言？

母语先行？双语并行？

如何对儿童的语言进行研究？

儿童语言研究的目的和任务是什么？

如何指导儿童的语言学习？

……

本书作者以精深的学术素养，通俗易懂的语言，翔实的语言学习案例，全面阐释了儿童语言研究的两大基本派别和蕞新研究成果。

   Preface: How to use this book xix

Acknowledgements xxiii




1 What do children bring to the language acquisition task? 1

Chapter summary 1

Introduction 1

Two different approaches 4

Competence versus performance 9

Some recurring questions 10

Some premises 11

Questions for discussion 13

An activity 13

Further reading 14




2 How do children communicate before they can use language? 16

Chapter summary 16

Clues for understanding 16

Facial expressions 17

Cries, coos and grunts 19

Infant speech perception 20

Babbling 22

The transition to language 24

First words 26

Gestures 27

Language and gesture 28

Discussion of in-text exercises 30

Questions for discussion 31

Some activities 31

Solutions to and comments on discussion questions and activities 32

Further reading 34




3 When does language development start? 35

Chapter summary 35

What's in a word? 35

Meaning through word and context 39

Early vocabulary 42

Semantic descriptions of early utterances 44

Arguments for a richer account of early utterances 46

To be or not to be a language 52

Discussion of in-text exercises 53

Questions for discussion 57

Some activities 57

Solutions to and comments on discussion questions and activities 60

Further reading 61




4 How do young children think language works? 62

Chapter summary 62

Looking at children’s language 62

Analysing children’s language 67

Discussion of in-text exercises 87

Questions for discussion 89

Some activities 89

Solutions to and comments on discussion questions and activities 92

Further reading 93




5 What influences language development? 95

Chapter summary 95

What is input and how much is enough? 95

Input at the right time: the ‘critical period’ 96

Is active communication necessary? 97

The nature of Baby Talk 98

The value of Baby Talk 100

Universal Grammar 107

Words are more cunning than they let on 110

Discussion of in-text exercises 114

Questions for discussion 114

An activity 115

Solutions to and comments on discussion questions and activity 116

Further reading 117




6 Do all children learn language the same way? 119

Chapter summary 119

Types of variation 119

Different endpoints 120

Differences in path of development 129

Differences in rate of development 138

Discussion of in-text exercises 140

Questions for discussion 140

Some activities 141

Solutions to and comments on discussion questions 142

Further reading 143




7 Does it matter which language(s) you learn? 144

Chapter summary 144

Introduction 144

So what’s so very different，anyway? 145

A parameter theory of language acquisition 148

How do children become bilingual? 154

Discussion of in-text exercises 164

Questions for discussion 165

Some activities 165

Solutions to and comments on discussion questions and activities 167

Further reading 169




8 When does language development stop? 171

Chapter summary 171

Later oral language development 171

Pragmatic aspects of later language development 176

Basic steps in learning to read 179

Basic steps in learning to write 181

Metalinguistic development 183

Discussion of in-text exercises 196

Questions for discussion 198 

Some activities 199

Solutions to and comments on discussion questions and activities 201

Further reading 202




Appendix 1 Tools for studying children’s language 203

Transcription 203

Mean Length of Utterance calculations 205

T-unit calculations 206

Some dos and don'ts of research design 207

Finding data 208

Bulletin boards 209

Journals in child language 209

Associations 210

Conferences 210

Further reading 210




Appendix 2 Phonetic symbols 211

Consonants 212

Vowels 213

Other symbols 213




Bibliography 214

Index 229