Abstract:
A common question often asked by parents to speech pathologists involves how they can make sure their children learn language alongside same-age peers. Learning to talk is a huge milestone in the life of a child and his or her parents. There are several theories regarding anguage acquisition including the psycholinguistic approach, the sociolinguistic approach, and behaviorism. A study of these theories can lead parents and caregivers to find out how their own examples and efforts can contribute to the language learning of children with whom they have contact. This thesis will show how the environment of a child can and does play a large role in language acquisition and how parents and caregivers can take the most advantage of that. Main suggestions include the use of exaggerated intonation and other speech characteristics with "parentese" when speaking with children, speaking to children in utterances they can understand, and repeating and expanding upon the speech of children. The research and statistics presented here pertaining to language development are meant to be a learning tool for current or prospective parents who are concerned about language acquisition and want to make sure their children have the best environment possible in which to develop speech.
