Tag: language
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Word of the Week: Code-switching
Code-switching means changing how language is used depending on social context. This can mean switching between languages (such as speaking English to an English speaker but German to a German speaker) or mixing languages (such as Spanglish). It can also refer to switching dialect (such as African American English to Standard American English) or changing…
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Word of the Week: Crib Talk
Crib talk is when young children talk to themselves before sleep. Starting at around age one-and-a-half, and ending around two-and-a-half, toddlers commonly narrate events, repeat things they have heard, or create imaginary situations. These monologues include elements of conversation and turn-taking. Crib talk is also common in Deaf children, who speak to themselves in signs…
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Read: How to Tell if Your Child is a Late Talker
What exactly is a late talker? How can you tell if your child’s language development is on track? What should you do if it’s not, and will they catch up? Some might encourage a “wait-and-see” approach, but this article from the Hanen Centre debunks this and other miscommunications about delayed language development. Based in research,…
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Word of the Week: Register
Registers are the stylistic variations of language an individual uses based on circumstance. People tend to adapt their pronunciation, word choice, grammar and/or body language to the different social situations in which they might find themselves. The social occasion, context, purpose, and audience are all important when choosing a register. Choosing a register may be…
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Word of the Week: Word Spurt
After toddlers learn about 50 words, often around 18 months of age, their vocabularies explode. This is called the word spurt or the vocabulary spurt. Toddlers learn words at double the rate that they were previously, or even faster. On average, children start off by learning 8-11 words per month. After about 50 words, this…
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Read: Learning Verbs
Verb learning happens after noun learning. One explanation for this is that actions are harder to picture or point out and pair with a word than objects are. When toddlers begin to use verbs, they tend to make some mistakes, like saying “runned” instead of “ran” or “eated” instead of “ate,” for example. These mistakes…
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Word of the Week: Motherese or Parentese
Also known as “baby-talk” and “child directed speech,” motherese or parentese is talk that is directed to an infant or young child. It has a more melodic or sing-song-like intonation than speech directed toward adults. It sounds higher pitched and slower paced, and words are often shortened or simplified. Oftentimes, it includes made-up words or…
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Read: How Do Children Learn Language?
We use language every day, often without considering how complex it is. Although language is nuanced and adult speech is often imperfect, language learning begins very early in life, even before birth. So how is it that babies and children manage to accomplish such an enormous task? This article from Verywell Family describes the process…
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Word of the Week: Metalanguage
Metalanguage is language used to talk about language. The prefix meta-means referring to oneself. Metalanguage is a useful tool to support language development in school aged children as well as second language learning. Examples of metalanguage include terms like word, noun, letter, and sentence.
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