BA Linguistics and Social Anthropology / Course details

The study of child language development is a fascinating area of research with implications for both linguistic theory and applied contexts. In this course we will focus on four specific aspects of child language development in depth: the acquisition of syntax, the role of the environment and interaction in language development, language development and education, and atypical language development. We will discuss and evaluate competing theories of language development and critically evaluate current research within the four areas outlined above. The course will contain a practical component in which you will have the opportunity to use child language research tools to conduct your own research on corpus data. The analysis will involve quantitative data and statistical analysis.

To investigate four key aspects of child language development in depth:

• Acquisition of syntax
• The role of the environment in language development
• Language development and education
• Atypical language development

To critically evaluate key studies within the four areas.

To conduct an original research project and present the findings in a professional research report aimed at early years practitioners/educators.

To evaluate a range of methodologies and statistical tests.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Compare and contrast generativist and constructivist accounts of the acquisition of syntax.
• Discuss and compare the effects of shared book reading, child-directed speech, and socio-economic class on language development.
• Display an understanding of the interaction between language development and formal education.
• Describe two forms of atypical language development and evaluate the theoretical import associated with the disorders.

Provisional outline:

Week 1: Introduction

Week 2: Patterns of Syntactic development

Week 3: Generativist theories of syntactic development

Week 4: Constructivist theories of syntactic development

Week 5: The role of child directed speech in language development

Week 6: Widening the scope of the input

Week 7: Language development and the classroom

Week 8: The development of reading and writing

Week 9: Specific Language Impairment

Week 10: Williams syndrome

Week 11: Conclusions

Weekly two-hour lecture

Weekly hour-long seminar/practical

Supporting video content (via Bb)

E-Learning: All course material, including lecture handouts, practice exercises, links to electronically available readings, and course and assessment info will be made available on Blackboard. Students will be able to discuss all aspects of the course with their peers and the teaching staff on the discussion board.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Compare and contrast generativist and constructivist accounts of the acquisition of syntax.
• Discuss and compare the effects of shared book reading, child-directed speech, and socio-economic class on language development.
• Display an understanding of the interaction between language development and formal education.
• Describe two forms of atypical language development and evaluate the theoretical import associated with the disorders.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Critically evaluate current research in child language development.
• Display an understanding of the ethical issues associated with the discipline.
• Display development of their ability to handle quantitative data.
• Apply current theories of language development to new data.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Produce a concise and targeted piece of written work
• Confidently discuss current child language research
• Read and evaluate primary sources of child language research
• Use research tools to analyse child language corpus data

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Evaluate current theories of language development and present the findings in a manner accessible to a non-academic audience
• Develop their time management and group work skills
• Apply theoretical research to real world problems and contexts.

Ambridge, B. & Lieven, E. (2011) Child Language Acquisition¿Contrasting Theoretical Approaches. Cambridge University Press.

Bus, A. G., H., v. I. M., & Pellegrini, A., D. (1995). Joint book reading makes for success in learning to read: A meta-analysis on intergenerational transmission of literacy. Review of Educational Research, 65(1), 1-21.

Hulme, C. & Snowling, M. (2009). Developmental disorders of language learning and cognition. Whiley-Blackwell

Huttenlocher, J., Vasilyeva, M., Cymerman, E., & Levine, S. (2002). Language input and child syntax. Cognitive Psychology, 45, 337-374.

Tomasello, M. (2000) Constructing a language. A usage-based theory of Language Development. Harvard University Press