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Summary Child Language Acquisition – A Revision Notes (Key Theories & Terminology)

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Struggling to revise Child Language Acquisition? These A-level revision notes break everything down into clear, visual, and exam-focused sections to help you learn faster and remember more. This resource covers all the core theories, key linguists, and essential terminology, including: Chomsky and Universal Grammar Berko & Gleason and the Wug Test (morphology and internalisation) Bruner and LASS (scaffolding, language support) Lenneberg and the Critical Period Hypothesis Key concepts like recasting, expansion, child-directed speech, prosodics, and internalisation Practical do’s and don’ts for child language development Clear examples to help you apply theory in exam answers The notes are presented in a visually engaging, easy-to-revise format, perfect for: A-Level English Language students Last-minute revision Consolidating key theories and terminology Turning content into high-mark exam responses Everything is structured to help you understand, memorise, and apply the content with confidence, based on the material in the poster (pages 1–2)

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Ask questions.

Not Just Baby Talk
The Do's and Dont's to Child Directed Asking stimulating and developmentally appropriate
questions can help boost the language environment of
your child.

Speech
Child Language Theorists If you want to get your kids to open their minds and think
more, you need to ask them open-ended questions. That
A language-rich environment is one in which children are is questions that are not answered with a simple “yes” or
surrounded by talking, singing, and reading and have many “no” answer. This questioning style provides invitations to
opportunities throughout their day, across all activities, to CHOMSKY say more and to share their ideas and feelings. For
communicate with others and engage in back-and-forth example, instead of asking “Did you enjoy going to the
conversations. A rich language environment is important to Chomsky suggested that children have an innate ability to park today?” you could ask “What was the best part of
children’s early learning and can have strong effects on early acquire language, this means that children are born already going to the park today?”
language, vocabulary, reading, and math skills, as well as on programmed to acquire language as well as having underlying
children’s social-emotional development. knowledge of grammar.
Break down your
EXPANSION
This means that he believes that when your child begins to
listen to you they will unconsciously recognize which kinds of
language.
Expansions are where you are able to fill out your child's language they're dealing with. Clever, right? Chomsky also
utterances with a new lexical and semantic element. noticed that all human languages share many similarities which
he describes as 'universal grammar'. Breaking down your language into understandable utterances
will allow you to develop effective turn-taking patterns.
For example, if your child says "The car", you could say "Yes,
Through using higher intonation when asking questions to your
it is a fast, red car"
child you will allow them to understand when a response is
RECASTING necessary. Furthermore using non-verbal features (prosodics)
such as gestures will help make the language more visual and
Recasting is when you repeat something your child has said BERKO - GLEASON therefore easier to understand for your child.
with more detail or corrected language.

For example, if your child says "want cake", you could
Berko- Gleason developed the 'wug test' to
study children's pronunciation and
Create talking
oppurtunities.
respond with "I want more cake please".
morphological development. it tested the -s
plural to see if your children could form the
To get the conversation started, you
plural 'wugs'. Surprisingly, three-quarters
Don't forget these as this of the 4-5-year-olds formed the regular
could place a favorite toy out of reach.
Wait for your child to see it, and then
will allow you to improve plural 'wugs'
let them ask for it.
your child's language
development and This means that they also understand other
If your toddler begins to point rather
suffixes such as -ed and -ing! This is called
increase not only their than talk, say, “Do you want the red
internalisation - the child has heard the
vocabulary but their rule so often that it was second nature to
car? Here is the red car.” This will help


THE ABC'S
understanding of them understand how to use their
apply it to make a plural.
communication and speaking skills to
grammar too!
This is a wug! ask for help.

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