62 March 2014 www.womanthismonth.com The role of grammar Chomsky, a famous linguist, put forward the idea that all humans have within them something which he called a language acquisition device. He suggested that this is responsible for the way that children can, through trial and error, pick up the grammatical rules for their mother tongue. In effect, when children over apply rules which they have come across before, it is proof that they are absorbing grammar and learning through trial and error. Children will demonstrate their understanding of grammar as their linguistic understanding matures. For example, when a child says mouses (rather than mice), it demonstrates the misapplication of a plural rule which a child would never have heard an adult use. When a child makes up sentences, even if the word order is incorrect, they should be commended because this demonstrates independent thought. Be positive with your child when they make these errors and do not over correct. These issues will iron themselves out in their own time. Different schools of thought Linguists have studied striking differences in the way American mothers communicate with their children compared to the Gusii mothers of Kenya. Gusii mothers rarely make eye contact with their children and only respond to child vocalisations if the children are in distress. This behaviour follows from their beliefs that babies cannot understand speech and that it is senseless to talk to them before they are old enough to understand what is being said. The Western way is a little different. As parents, we strive to engage our children believing that they have the innate ability to understand and hoping that the more we communicate, the greater their understanding will be. The developmental milestones shown in the chart demonstrates the general pattern of development in speech. If you are concerned about your child’s linguistic development, then you should speak to your child’s teacher and your family doctor who may refer you to a speech and language specialist. Although all children develop at different rates, remember that you know your child best. Reference: Richman, A. L., Miller, P. M. & LeVine, R. A. (1992). Cultural and educational variations in maternal responsiveness. Developmental Psychology, 28, 614-621. g How to encourage your child to communicate effectively • Praise your child for attempting to use difficult words. • Encourage your child to use adjectives to describe nouns. • Use language that your child will understand; then offer synonyms in conversation to extend your child’s vocabulary. • Remember that listening is important. Don’t be distracted by the TV, tablet or telephone. Make time to focus and listen. • Let your child know that you are listening by using lots of eye contact and other positive forms of body language, such as nods and smiles. • Show your interest by using phrases like ‘tell me more’, ‘go on’ and ‘what happened next’? • Ask your child questions. • Rephrase and say a few things in different ways. • Revisit and reuse new words regularly. • Repeat and build on what your child has said to make more complex sentences. • Invest some time to speak and listen to your child.
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