Pace of early language development

[Gisela Szagun]

Dear colleagues,

not only has the enormous varibility in early language development been
demonstrated by the research cited by Lorraine, Katherine and Keith, but it
has by now been demonstrated in large representative sample of children
acquiring a variety of different languages in different cultures. So, it is
probably a true "universal" (as opposed to some postulated ones).

I tend to think that discussions about the "speeding up" or "deterioration"
of some or the other behavioural development may tell us more about
researchers and non-researchers in different countries than about children's
development. With respect to language development and in the absence of
really solid evidence over generations, i tend to see these discussions as
variations on two themes "in the old days everything was better" and "we are
getting better all the time". I can't see the evidence for either with
respect to children's language development. And I suppose we haven't reached
Johann Sebastian Bach's skills in variations on themes. He managed fugues
with three or four themes and variations on them - and it all fitted
together!

Regards,
Gisela


On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 8:42 PM, Margaret Fleck <margaretmfleck at yahoo.com>wrote:

>
> I think the range of variation is one of those things that's obvious to
> the parents and teachers "on the ground" and more difficult to
> document in a way that convinces skeptics.   I don't think you have
> to know very many kids socially before you run into examples of the
> upper and lower ends of the range on language and other standard
> toddler/preschool skills.    There also seems to be wide variation in
> when kids learn other skills e.g. potty training, holding a fork well,
> singing, climbing.
>
> Margaret Fleck
>
>
>
>
>
> >
>


-- 
Prof Gisela Szagun PhD BSc

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