Notes 22.09.14

Children struggle with  

·         Auxiliary verbs

·         Grammar tenses

·         Indefinite/ definite article

Adults unconsciously converge towards the child’s language. (Debroy)

Parents talk to their children as if they understand.

18 months- 50 odd words are known (context dependent)

·         Mainly nouns

·         Some words but pronounced differently ‘’see-saw.’’ ‘’see-saw?’’

Sexism? Girls are encouraged ‘’clever girl’’, boys are expected to be clever.

Lots of onomatopoeia ‘’moo moo’’ ‘’baa baa’’

Two and a half years- slight conversation

Nursery rhymes are popular, they allow children to talk for 30 seconds or longer in one go.

Adults set the agenda for the conversation by asking questions.

3 years old

·         possessive pronouns are learnt

3/4/5 years

·         start to understand tense

·         compound syntax (two main clauses joined by and/but/or)

5 years

·         More aware of external influences

100,000 words as an adult

Young children go off on side sequence.

Transcript Analysis- January 2013, Question 1

Context: Text A is a transcript of Ruby (3 years 4 months) with her Auntie Lou. Ruby has just 

arrived at her aunt’s house and they are in the kitchen. Thelma, Fergal and Simba 

are cats.

Referring in detail to the transcript and to relevant ideas from language study, analyse 

the language used by children and their caregivers. (48 marks)

Text for Question 1

Key: (.) indicates a normal pause.

Numbers within brackets indicate length of pause in seconds.

Words between vertical lines are spoken simultaneously.

:: indicates elongated sounds.

Words in capitals indicate an increase in volume.

Other contextual information is in italics in square brackets.

CLA Notes

It has become apparent that all human beings are born with a Gene called FOXP2 which enables them to have the genetic ability to form words and allow them to speak.

This became knowledge to many English Language experts through the investigation into the KE Family of which 15 of the 30 members where born with an inherited gene on chromosome 7 from their Grandmother. This was due to Chromosome being slightly broken meaning that they had a speech and language disorder which portrayed them to speak as if they were deaf. This disorder is called Development Verbal Dyspraxia.

The fact that we are born with the ability to speak within our genes supports Chomsky’s LAD ‘language acquisition device) theory. This is the idea that it is an instinctive mental capacity which allows young children to acquire and produce language. It also extends on the idea that the gene FOXP2 needs to be stimulated to become an ability and that language only becomes apparent once the infant is spoken to by another person. This is supported by the case of Genie who was kept away from society from a very young age for a long period of time and was unable to produce and acquire language once she had been discovered.

AQA English Language

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/as-and-a-level/english-language-b-2705