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How does a child learn language quizlet


FAQ: Language Acquisition | Linguistic Society of America

How do children acquire language? Do parents teach their children to talk?

No. Children acquire language quickly, easily, and without effort or formal teaching. It happens automatically, whether their parents try to teach them or not.

Although parents or other caretakers don't teach their children to speak, they do perform an important role by talking to their children. Children who are never spoken to will not acquire language. And the language must be used for interaction with the child; for example, a child who regularly hears language on the TV or radio but nowhere else will not learn to talk.

Children acquire language through interaction - not only with their parents and other adults, but also with other children. All normal children who grow up in normal households, surrounded by conversation, will acquire the language that is being used around them. And it is just as easy for a child to acquire two or more languages at the same time, as long as they are regularly interacting with speakers of those languages.

The special way in which many adults speak to small children also helps them to acquire language. Studies show that the 'baby talk' that adults naturally use with infants and toddlers tends to always be just a bit ahead of the level of the child's own language development, as though pulling the child along. This 'baby talk' has simpler vocabulary and sentence structure than adult language, exaggerated intonation and sounds, and lots of repetition and questions. All of these features help the child to sort out the meanings, sounds, and sentence patterns of his or her language.

When do children learn to talk?

There is no one point at which a child learns to talk. By the time the child first utters a single meaningful word, he or she has already spent many months playing around with the sounds and intonations of language and connecting words with meanings. Children acquire language in stages, and different children reach the various stages at different times. The order in which these stages are reached, however, is virtually always the same.

The first sounds a baby makes are the sounds of crying. Then, around six weeks of age, the baby will begin making vowel sounds, starting with aah, ee, and ooh. At about six months, the baby starts to produce strings of consonant-vowel pairs like boo andda. In this stage, the child is playing around with the sounds of speech and sorting out the sounds that are important for making words in his or her language from the sounds that aren't. Many parents hear a child in this stage produce a combination like "mama" or "dada" and excitedly declare that the child has uttered his or her first word, even though the child probably didn't attach any meaning to the 'word'.

Somewhere around age one or one and a half, the child will actually begin to utter single words with meaning. These are always 'content' words like cookie, doggie, run,and see - never 'function' words like and, the, and of. Around the age of two, the child will begin putting two words together to make 'sentences' like doggie run. A little later on, the child may produce longer sentences that lack function words, such as big doggie run fast. At this point all that's left to add are the function words, some different sentence forms (like the passive), and the more complex sound combinations (like str). By the time the child enters kindergarten, he or she will have acquired the vast majority of the rules and sounds of the language. After this, it's just a matter of combining the different sentence types in new ways and adding new words to his or her vocabulary.

Why did my daughter say feet correctly for a while, and then go back to calling them foots?

Actually, she hasn't 'gone back' at all; she's gone forward. When she used the wordfeet as a toddler, she was just imitating what she had heard. But now she has learned a rule for making plurals, which is that you add the s sound to the end of the word. So she's just applying her new rule to all nouns - even the exceptions to the rule, likefoot/feet. She'll probably do the same thing when she learns to add ed to verbs to make the past tense, saying things like he standed up until she learns that stand/stoodis an exception to the rule. She'll sort it all out eventually, but for now, rest assured that this is progress; it's evidence that she's going beyond imitation and actually learning the rules of the English language.

How can a child who can't even tie her own shoes master a system as complex as the English language?

Although the 'baby talk' that parents use with small children may help them to acquire language, many linguists believe that this still cannot explain how infants and toddlers can acquire such a complicated system so easily.

It's far easier for a child to acquire language as an infant and toddler than it will be for the same child to learn, say, French in a college classroom 18 years later. Many linguists now say that a newborn's brain is already programmed to learn language, and in fact that when a baby is born he or she already instinctively knows a lot about language. This means that it's as natural for a human being to talk as it is for a bird to sing or for a spider to spin a web. In this sense, language may be like walking: The ability to walk is genetic, and children develop the ability to walk whether or not anybody tries to teach them to do so. In the same way, children develop the ability to talk whether or not anybody tries to teach them. For this reason, many linguists believe that language ability is genetic. Researchers believe there may be a 'critical period' (lasting roughly from infancy until puberty) during which language acquisition is effortless. According to these researchers, changes occur in the structure of the brain during puberty, and after that it is much harder to learn a new language.

Linguists have become deeply interested in finding out what all 5,000 or so of the world's languages have in common, because this may tell us what kinds of knowledge about language are actually innate. For example, it appears that all languages use the vowel sounds aah, ee, and ooh - the same vowel sounds a baby produces first. By studying languages from all over the world, linguists hope to find out what properties all languages have in common, and whether those properties are somehow hard-wired into the human brain. If it's true that babies are born with a lot of language knowledge built in, that will help to explain how it's possible for a very small child - with no teaching, and regardless of intelligence level - to quickly and easily acquire a system of language so complex that no other animal or machine has ever mastered it.

For further information

Pecchi, Jean Stillwell. 1994. Child Language. London: Routedge.

Pinker, Steven. 1994. The Language instinct. New York: W.W.Morrow.

"Playing the Language Game." Program Two: Acquiring the Human Language. The Human Language Series. Videocassette. New York: Equinox Films, 1995.

Smith, Neil. 1989. The Twitter Machine: Reflections on Language. Oxford: Blackwell.

FAQ by: Betty Birner

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Interested in more on this topic? Check out Language in Children and more books from LSA here.

Four Ways to Effectively Use Flashcards with Young Kids

4 Tips for Raising Bilingual Kids (Even if You're Not)

By Elizabeth Alvarado, Ph.D. • 08 Jun, 2021 •

Research on the benefits of bilingualism is well established. Among other things, bilingual children are better at problem-solving and developing reading skills, and they are more comfortable in diverse learning environments. Hence, it's no surprise that many parents want to give their kids the gift of bilingualism, even though they may only speak one language. I'm here for you parents! In this post, I offer four tips for raising bilingual children, even if you’re not. Share in the Learning Adventure Language development is most successful when children interact with caring adults. Hence, one of the most important (and enjoyable) aspects of raising a bilingual child is sharing in the adventure of learning. If you already speak a second language, then learning alongside your child regularly will help you maintain your fluency. If you’re monolingual, then you'll have the opportunity to learn a second language. After all, while it may be easier to acquire a new language in early childhood, it's possible for adults to learn languages too! Most importantly, your child will thrive when you learn along with them and you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can chat together, gaining proficiency through consistent practice. Join a Learning Community In addition to speaking to you, it’s also important that your kids experience the benefits of conversing with native speakers whenever possible. Ideally, I recommend finding a bilingual playgroup or school that includes families with native-speaking children and adults who are committed to raising bilingual kids. International babysitters and au-pairs are another great resource. You’ll be amazed by what you and your kids will pick up from others! Invest in High-Quality Resources that Appeal to Your Kids There are many different resources to help your children learn a second language from tutors to apps, to YouTube videos, to software programs. Although no single approach has been identified as the best, most resources work best when they form part of a meaningful course of study. The trouble is, there are few comprehensive language programs designed with the young child in mind. At Little Language Adventures, we've sought to address this issue by taking the best instructional practices from early childhood education and combining them with a playful language learning curriculum that appeals to young kids. We invite you to sign up for a free trial lesson. When you do, remember to share in the learning adventure with your child. Incorporate Travel into Your Life If you are lucky enough to have the opportunity, international travel is perhaps the most exciting part of learning another language. Kids can’t help but be impacted by what they experience outside of their home country’s borders. When you visit a country where they speak another language, kids soak up new vocabulary and they feel excited to learn more. Learning the native language of the place that you visit will also connect you and your kids to the local culture of the destination. You’ll interact with people you might otherwise have never met. In addition to language, international travel offers opportunities for kids to learn empathy, compassion, resilience, and confidence. In sum, there are no universal rules to follow when it comes to raising bilingual kids. The approach that you end up taking depends on the nature of your household, the community you live in, and the resources that work best for you and your child. Ultimately, the most important thing to do as a parent is to provide nurturing support and enjoy the ride! Happy adventuring, Liz

Results of the quiz dedicated to the Day of the native (Russian) language | News

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» In accordance with the Calendar of educational events dedicated to the national holidays of the Russian Federation, memorable dates and events of Russian history and culture, for the 2019-2020 academic year, pursuant to the order of the Department of General Education of the Tomsk Region dated 23. 01. 2020 No. 57-0275 "On holding the International Mother Language Day", in order to popularize the languages ​​and literary heritage of the peoples of Russia, to increase the prestige of knowing the native language On February 17, 2020 at the gymnasium a quiz dedicated to the Day of the native (Russian) language was held , among students in grades 5-10

Winners and prize-winners in each group were:

- 2 team 5B class consisting of :

  1. Abramyan Mikhail
  2. Yakovleva Sofia
  3. Shashova Daria
  4. Murina Maria

2nd place - 2nd class class 5B team consisting of:

  1. Alexander Mishustin
  2. Narmania Christina
  3. Kovaleva Alisa
  4. Startsev Ivan

3rd place - 1 team of class 5B consisting of:

  1. Krivoguz Angelina
  2. Pokatilova Varvara
  3. Olga Samatova
  4. Elizarova Anna

6-7 classes:

1st place - class 6A team consisting of :

  1. Belomyttseva Svetlana
  2. Lavrenyuk Arina
  3. Egor Sokolov
  4. Shanenkov Artem

2nd place - class 7A team consisting of:

  1. Lyzhina Olesya
  2. Yarovaya Valeria
  3. Dorogina Arina
  4. Vorotov Roman

3rd place - class 7B team consisting of:

  1. Bolshunova Miroslava
  2. Sleptsova Arina
  3. Yurmazova Anna
  4. Kivalkina Irina

8-9 classes:

1st place - class 9B team in :

  1. Pavel St. Petersburg
  2. Kiseleva Xenia
  3. Yurovskaya Diana
  4. Amanov Ayan

2nd place - class 8B team consisting of:

  1. Arina Arakelyan
  2. Arkhipova Maria
  3. Baryshpolets Maria
  4. Loginova Polina

3rd place - class 9A team consisting of:

  1. Andreeva Alina
  2. Peterlenko Violetta
  3. Ushakov Fedor
  4. Minaeva Nika

10 classes:

1st place - class 10A team consisting of :

  1. Parezheva Victoria
  2. Samokish Anton
  3. Kozlova Anfisa
  4. Smolina Elena

2nd place - 1 team of class 10B consisting of:

  1. Amalia Gumarova
  2. Fedyaeva Valeriya
  3. Nyukhalova Daria

3rd place - 2nd team of class 10B consisting of:

  1. Kazakova Alexandra
  2. Palamarchuk Ekaterina
  3. Zholudeva Anastasia
  4. Levanyan Armine

3rd place - class 10B team consisting of:

  1. Danila Belousov
  2. Lazarev Danila
  3. Grigoriev Mikhail
  4. Fadeev Valery

Results of the conference "Steps into Science"

Results of the International Competition "Live Classics"

Every parent at least once wondered how to get their child interested in English? In the article, we will analyze the main mistakes in motivating a child and share recommendations on how you can help your child learn English.

The process of learning any foreign language is complex and time-consuming. To get the desired result, you need to have a clear and strong motivation. At preschool age, children do not yet realize the benefits of learning English, so parents should provide them with this motivation. Let's look at the question, why is it necessary to know English?

If your child speaks English, there are many opportunities in life before him, because in the modern world, the concepts of borders between countries are more and more erased, so English takes on the role of a common language in the process of communication. English opens the way to the best universities around the world. But even if getting into one of the British or American universities is not your plan, English is spoken in many countries, so there are thousands of other universities offering programs of study in English.

If you want to choose English for the general development of your child, or you are seriously planning to study abroad, then it is worth starting to learn English from an early age. Often, even experienced parents cannot always interest a child, many children do not receive sufficient motivation and eventually decide to stop learning. It is important to identify their mistakes here.

Mistakes in motivation when learning English

1. Wrong attitude towards English

Many parents take learning English for granted. Children begin to feel a lot of pressure, a lot of responsibility, and even a fear of making mistakes. Over time, the influence of these negative emotions only intensifies. In this case, it is necessary to give the child an understanding that language learning can be an easy and cognitive process, especially at preschool age.

2. Wrong expectations of progress

All children are different. But even the most motivated child will not be able to maintain a strong desire to learn English if he does not see his progress. Learning a language is a laborious and rather long process. At first, progress can be almost imperceptible. However, it's important to praise your kids for even small jobs so they know they're on the right track.

3. Wrong goals

Many parents make a mistake when they tell their child about the prospects for a job in a high position. Children, especially at an early age, are interested in achieving other goals. It is important for them to explain that with the help of English they will be able to visit more interesting countries, where they will find new friends, will have the opportunity to read their favorite books in the author’s language, watch an interview with their favorite actor, understand the meaning of their favorite song and even sing along to it. Therefore, when choosing a goal, focus on the interests of the child, and not on distant prospects.

4. Comparison with other children

This mistake is made by many parents. Usually, children attach different meanings to the comments of teachers and parents. The child relies more on the opinion of his loved ones and baseless criticism can hurt him greatly, he will feel awkward and even ashamed. These negative emotions eventually cause the child to give up.

The way out of their situation can be a comparison of children with them, but in the past. This will give them a sense of progress and at the same time they will be able to feel proud of their achievements in this difficult learning process. Do not forget to praise the children, because your words are very important to them.

What advice can a school give for teaching children English?

1. Learn with your child

Especially at the initial stage of learning, it is very important for the child to give the necessary motivation and support.

2. Learn through games

Learning a foreign language is usually associated with textbooks and the endless memorization of grammar rules, words and phrases. The child will simply become bored and uninteresting, he will lose the desire to learn. Here games in English, for example with cards, can come to the rescue. A great option is the “Show Me” game, when you lay out several cards in front of the child, and then he needs to touch one card and name what is shown on it.

3. Watch English cartoons

Bright and interesting, as a rule, attract the attention of any child. Their heroes speak a simple language, but even if the child does not know the knowledge of many words, the depicted scenes and emotions will help him guess. Also, usually the series are short and last about 20 minutes, so that the child will not tire of the learning process.

4. Analyze lyrics and read with your child in English

Learning English from songs is not only exciting, but also useful. So the child can get acquainted with a foreign culture, learn a lot of new words, practice listening skills and even improve pronunciation. Reading in English plays a similar role in learning, but of greater benefit. reading should be aloud.

5. Describe the uses of English

It is important to give additional motivation. child, but do not overdo it, at school age many children are frightened by the uncertainty of their plans for the future, so the best option would be to demonstrate the use of English in their free time or study.

6. Choose the right literature

When choosing literature, it is important to pay attention to the age recommendations of the authors. The book should be age appropriate. For example, for children aged 2-5 years, the book should be with bright illustrations, large texts, preferably designed in such a way that the child can guess what the book is about without translation.

It is also important to consider the level of English. You should not start reading voluminous texts at the initial stage of study, otherwise the child will quickly lose interest.

7. Be sure to praise

Regular approval from parents will help the children to believe in themselves, in their strength and maintain motivation for a long time.

8. Choose a good teacher

In the British International School on the international program, learning English begins at the age of 3 years. From the first days, children are completely immersed in a foreign language environment, which facilitates the process of learning the language. The school also offers an English language course for beginners EAL, especially for students who need extra classes.

At the Russian department, English is taught from the age of 8. Toddlers learn in an interesting game format, learning the basics of the language and moving on to more complex tasks. Experienced native-speaker teachers closely monitor their progress and are always ready to help. You can learn more about studying at BMS primary and secondary schools at the link https://bismoscow.com/ru/education/russian/

In conclusion, it is worth noting that learning together with a parent is certainly an exciting process, but for a comprehensive immersion in the language, professionals are needed, especially native English speakers. At the British International School, highly qualified specialists from the UK and other English-speaking countries will create all the conditions for successful language learning for a child: a multicultural atmosphere, an individual approach to everyone and high-quality teaching methods.

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