Interactionism (Jerome Bruner):
Believes children learn language to get what they want, to interact with others and to
connect with guardians. (Halliday’s functions)
Believes that child language development enriched and accelerated by quality and
quantity of interaction with adults.
Language can only be learnt by interaction with others, and that a Language
Acquisition Support System (LASS) is triggered by interaction. (Nativism + interaction)
Adults use Child Directed Speech.
Child Directed Speech: (can also be called Motherese, Parentese or Caregiver
Language)
Slow pace
Annunciate words
High pitch
Simplified words
Shorter sentences
This Child Directed Speech is said to help children learn language more easily.
BUT
CDS is NOT used in several cultures (such as Samoa) yet children develop normally.
Strengths Weaknesses
Clarke-Steward (1973)- Found kids with Different cultures pass through the same
chattier mums had bigger vocabularies. language stages.
Feral children do not develop language. Children learn language even with no Child
Directed Speech.
Bards and Sachs (1977)- Child who had deaf Difficult to show correlation between Child
parents did not pick up language until Directed Speech and the emergence of
interacted with, despite watching TV those features in a child’s speech.
regularly.
What to look out for in an exam:
Children enjoying/benefiting from interaction.
Parents reinforcing an attempt to speak.
Adults using Child Directed Speech.
Conversational skills and politeness being taught/learnt through interaction with
caregiver and child. (e.g A child learning to address teachers as Miss or Sir.)
Believes children learn language to get what they want, to interact with others and to
connect with guardians. (Halliday’s functions)
Believes that child language development enriched and accelerated by quality and
quantity of interaction with adults.
Language can only be learnt by interaction with others, and that a Language
Acquisition Support System (LASS) is triggered by interaction. (Nativism + interaction)
Adults use Child Directed Speech.
Child Directed Speech: (can also be called Motherese, Parentese or Caregiver
Language)
Slow pace
Annunciate words
High pitch
Simplified words
Shorter sentences
This Child Directed Speech is said to help children learn language more easily.
BUT
CDS is NOT used in several cultures (such as Samoa) yet children develop normally.
Strengths Weaknesses
Clarke-Steward (1973)- Found kids with Different cultures pass through the same
chattier mums had bigger vocabularies. language stages.
Feral children do not develop language. Children learn language even with no Child
Directed Speech.
Bards and Sachs (1977)- Child who had deaf Difficult to show correlation between Child
parents did not pick up language until Directed Speech and the emergence of
interacted with, despite watching TV those features in a child’s speech.
regularly.
What to look out for in an exam:
Children enjoying/benefiting from interaction.
Parents reinforcing an attempt to speak.
Adults using Child Directed Speech.
Conversational skills and politeness being taught/learnt through interaction with
caregiver and child. (e.g A child learning to address teachers as Miss or Sir.)
