Abstract
The normal young child acquires a complex, multifaceted communication system in a relatively short period of time with apparent ease. The anatomical structure and physiological processes necessary for this acquisition have been subject to considerable discussion and research. What it is that the child acquires and how the child acquires it have been described, analyzed, and explained from a variety of positions. Jenkins (1969) suggests that one’s definition of language determines what it is that is described and analyzed. If language is considered to be a set of words, then language acquisition begins with the child’s production of the first word, and development is measured by the addition of more and more words. This view, which predominated for several decades, saw stages in development defined by the number of words a child understood or produced. Research emphasized counting words understood or used by representative groups of children under various conditions, for example, number of words at specified ages, mean number of words per utterance, or number of words comprehended. Language development was evaluated by counting and comparing the number and types of words used. Although many developmental charts retain this orientation, for example, norms of vocabulary levels from infancy through adulthood, the current view of language is much broader, more complex, and more encompassing.
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Lasky, E.Z. (1985). Perspectives on Language Development. In: Hartlage, L.C., Telzrow, C.F. (eds) The Neuropsychology of Individual Differences. Perspectives on Individual Differences. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3484-0_7
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