There are quite a few references on individual differences 
in typical language acquisition, though I think most don't cover the 
onomatopoeia issue very much.

But you may be interested in:

Cecilia Shore: Individual Differences in Language Development.
Sage, 1995

and the following papers:

Bretherton, I., McNew, S., Snyder, L. and Bates, E. (1983).
Individual differences at 20 months: analytic and holistic
strategies in language acquisition, Journal of Child Language,
10, 293-320.

Camaioni, L. and Longobardi, E. (1995): Nature and stability of 
individual differences in early lexical developement of Italian-
speaking children. First Language, 15, 203-218.

D'Odorico, L. et al (2001). Vocabulary development in Italian children:
a longitudinal evaluation of quantitative and qualitative aspects. 
Journal of Child Language, 28, 351-372

Furrow, D. and Nelson, K. (1984). Environmental correlates of individual
differences in language acquisition. Journal of Child Language, 11, 
523-534.

Lieven, E., Pine, J. and Barnes, H. (1992). Individual differences in 
early vocabulary development: re-defining the referential-expressive
distinction. Journal of Child Language, 19, 287-310.

Nelson, K. (1982). Individual differences in language development:
implications for development and language. Annual Progress in Child 
Psychiatry and Child Development, 1982, 249-276.



Ann


In message <52489.85.57.37.237.1188476997.squirrel@gw.uma.es> imoreno@uma.es writes:
> 
> Hello,
> fascinating emails!!!
> 
> Bruno mentions variation in the order of acquisition.  Maybe
> we could add differences between linguistic domains
> (i.e. grammar, lexicon, phonology...)?
> 
> This form of variation occurs in delayed language acquisition.
> For instance, in deaf children with cochear implants
> grammar development seems to go well behind lexical development.
> 
> But, does it occur in some typically development children?
> How much variation is "normal"? I'd appreciate any
> references about this topic.
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> Ignacio Moreno-Torres
> Universidad de Málaga
> Spain
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bruno Estigarribia" <aananda@stanford.edu>
> To: <Info-childes@mail.talkbank.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 11:56 PM
> Subject: an onomatopoeic toddler and individual differences
> 
> 
> >
> >
> > Margaret M. Fleck wrote:
> >> Nelson, Katherine wrote:
> >>>   ....  However, individual differences and idiosyncratic approaches
> >>> to learning to talk are far more prevalent than the current
> >>> literature would lead you to believe, and most children settle on
> >>> conventional sounds as well as meanings during the third year.
> >> On the one hand, I'm not sure anyone really believes stories about the
> >> extent of the differences until they
> >> actually have personal experience of a kid talking in full sentences
> >> at two years and a comparable kid who is nearly mute at the same age.
> >> To put this in perspective, however, there's about a 6-month spread in
> >> when fairly normal kids learn to walk.  Probably a wider spread in
> >> when they learn how to come down a ladder.   And a multi-year spread
> >> in potty training
> >> and learning standard preschool manual coordination tasks, e.g.
> >> holding a pencil effectively, cutting food with a
> >> knife and fork.   For the non-language tasks, there seem to be
> >> differences in inherent ability and also differences
> >> in what the kid feels inclined to put effort into.
> > And the difference is not only regarding timing. Paths of acquisition
> > vary enormously as well as soon as you get away from simple measures of
> > language skill (witness the holistic vs. analytic continuum and its many
> > different incarnations, plus my own work on yes/no questions).
> >>
> >> Perhaps we shouldn't be all that surprised by similar variation in
> >> language learning.
> > Well, but you would be surprised, (or annoyed maybe ;-)) if you were
> > convinced language and cognition are radically different. A lot of
> > language acquisition researchers believe that. To me, that is a
> > completely open question. We're back to "not every typical human uses
> > knives and forks, but every typically developing child speaks", "oh but
> > every human uses tools", kind of discussion. Granted, walking is rather
> > universal...
> >>
> >> As a parent, I think there's a disconnect between printed discussions
> >> of skill timing and the information that's
> >> passed around the mommy and teacher network, with the manuals tending
> >> to understate the extent of the variation.
> > Which information is clearly anecdotal and elicited in very uncontrolled
> > environments, prone to all sorts of biases. Said as a parent of a 2 1/2
> > year old who thinks his kid is way ahead of the curve... but what do I
> know?
> > Bruno Estigarribia
> > FPG-NDRC-UNC
> >
> >
> 
> 
> 

