English (9093)
Cooing (6-8 weeks): vowel-like sounds Babbling (6-9 months): consonant-vowel combinations (bababa, mamama) Proto-words (9-12 months): consistent sounds for specific meanings
Holophrastic (12-18 months): Single words as whole sentences ("milk!" = "I want milk") Two-word (18-24 months): Telegraphic combinations ("daddy go", "more juice") Telegraphic (24-36 months): Short sentences missing function words ("me want big cookie") Post-telegraphic (36+ months): Complex sentences, questions, past tense
Nativist (Chomsky): Children have an innate **LAD** (Language Acquisition Device). Universal Grammar is hardwired. Evidence: children produce sentences they've never heard. Behaviourist (Skinner): Language learned through imitation and reinforcement. Problem: doesn't explain creativity or "virtuous errors" (goed, sheeps). Interactionist (Bruner): **LASS** (Language Acquisition Support System) — caregivers scaffold learning through CDS (Child-Directed Speech).
Topic 3 of 3Cambridge A Levels
Child Language Acquisition
How children learn language — stages, theories, and key features
Children acquire language through predictable stages:
Pre-linguistic stage (0-12 months):
Linguistic stages:
Theories:
Key Points to Remember
- 1Stages: cooing → babbling → holophrastic → two-word → telegraphic
- 2Chomsky: innate LAD (Language Acquisition Device)
- 3Skinner: imitation and reinforcement
- 4Bruner: LASS — caregivers scaffold learning
Pakistan Example
Bilingual Acquisition in Pakistani Homes — Urdu, English, and Regional Languages
Pakistani children often acquire 2-3 languages simultaneously — Urdu at home, English at school, and a regional language (Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto) from extended family. They pass through the same stages in each language. Virtuous errors appear in all: 'mein gaya' (correct) but 'mein jaya' (overgeneralising). This supports Chomsky's universal LAD theory.