Discuss the components of language acquisition citing the average age at which these are demonstrated by a child.

Components of Language Acquisition and Developmental Timelines

Language acquisition isn't a single event but a series of interconnected developments. These can be broadly categorized into four main components:

1. Phonology (Sounds of Language)

Phonology deals with the sound system of a language. It involves learning to perceive, discriminate, and produce the sounds (phonemes) that are meaningful in a given language.

• 0-6 months: Babbling begins – initially with reflexive sounds, then progressing to consonant-vowel combinations (e.g., “ba,” “da”). Infants demonstrate universal listening, able to discriminate sounds from all languages.
• 6-12 months: Babbling becomes more language-specific, incorporating sounds prevalent in the child’s environment. Reduplicated babbling (e.g., “mama,” “dada”) is common.
• 12-18 months: First words emerge, often consisting of single syllables. Pronunciation is often simplified, with errors like consonant deletion (e.g., “ba” for “ball”).
• 18-24 months: Vocabulary expands rapidly. Phonological processes (simplifications) continue, but become more sophisticated.
• 2-3 years: Most speech sounds are produced, though some (like /r/, /l/, /th/) may still be challenging.

2. Semantics (Meaning of Words)

Semantics focuses on the meaning of words and phrases. It involves learning the vocabulary of a language and understanding the relationships between words.

• 12-18 months: First words typically refer to familiar objects, people, and routines (e.g., “mama,” “dada,” “ball”).
• 18-24 months: Vocabulary spurt – a rapid increase in word learning. Children begin to understand simple questions and follow one-step directions.
• 2-3 years: Vocabulary continues to grow exponentially. Children start to understand basic concepts like size, shape, and color. Overextension (using a word too broadly, e.g., calling all four-legged animals “doggy”) and underextension (using a word too narrowly, e.g., only calling *their* dog “doggy”) are common.
• 3-5 years: Children learn more complex vocabulary and begin to understand relationships between words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms).

3. Grammar (Syntax and Morphology)

Grammar encompasses the rules governing how words are combined to form sentences (syntax) and how words change their form to indicate grammatical relationships (morphology).

• 18-24 months: Telegraphic speech – using only essential words to convey meaning (e.g., “Mommy go”). Two-word phrases become common.
• 2-3 years: Simple sentences emerge, often with subject-verb-object order. Grammatical morphemes (e.g., -ing, -ed, plural -s) begin to be used, but often inconsistently.
• 3-5 years: More complex sentences are formed, including questions, negatives, and embedded clauses. Grammatical morphemes are used more accurately. Overregularization (applying grammatical rules too broadly, e.g., “goed” instead of “went”) is a common phenomenon.

4. Pragmatics (Social Use of Language)

Pragmatics deals with the social rules of language – how language is used in context to communicate effectively.

• 12-18 months: Joint attention – sharing focus on an object or event with another person. This is crucial for learning language through social interaction.
• 18-24 months: Begin to use language to request, comment, and protest. Turn-taking in conversations starts to emerge.
• 2-3 years: Can adjust their language based on the listener. Begin to understand and use politeness markers (e.g., “please,” “thank you”).
• 3-5 years: More sophisticated pragmatic skills develop, including the ability to tell stories, engage in pretend play, and understand humor.

Theoretical Perspectives: Noam Chomsky’s theory of Universal Grammar posits an innate Language Acquisition Device (LAD) that enables children to acquire language rapidly. Behaviorist theories (e.g., Skinner) emphasize the role of reinforcement and imitation. Social Interactionist theories (e.g., Vygotsky) highlight the importance of social interaction and scaffolding in language development.