book announcement

[Martyn Barrett]

NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT
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The following book, which may be of particular interest to
info-childes readers, has just been published:

M. Barrett (ed.) (1999), The Development of Language. Hove,
UK: Psychology Press. ISBN 0-86377-846-1. 416 pp. Hardback.
39.95 Pounds Sterling.

The contents of the book are as follows:

CHAPTER 1: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE NATURE OF
LANGUAGE AND TO THE CENTRAL THEMES AND
ISSUES IN THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT,
by Martyn Barrett
   The nature of language
   The task facing the language-learning child
   The topics covered by the chapters in this book
   Recurrent themes and issues in the study of children's language
   development
   References

CHAPTER 2: PRELINGUISTIC COMMUNICATION, by
Vasudevi Reddy
   How do we look for the prelinguistic?
   Intentionality in communication
   Reasons for the emergence of communication
   Continuities in communicative development
   Embodiment in communication
   Landmarks in the changing nature of prelinguistic communication
   Understanding prelinguistic communication: continuity and
   embodiment
   References

CHAPTER 3: EARLY SPEECH PERCEPTION AND WORD
LEARNING, by Kim Plunkett and Graham Schafer
   Introduction
   Early speech perception
   Word detection
   Word learning
   Summary
   References

CHAPTER 4: PHONOLOGICAL ACQUISITION, by David
Ingram
   Introduction
   A phonological case study: the data
   Theoretical issues
   Phonological analysis
   Summary
   References

CHAPTER 5: EARLY LEXICAL DEVELOPMENT, by Esther
Dromi
   Introduction
   The size of the one-word lexicon and the rate of accumulating new
   words
   The distribution of early words in various word-classes
   The content of early words
   Semantic processes in the acquisition of early word meanings
   The role of context and experience in the acquisition of word
   meanings
   Theoretical models on word meaning acquisition
   Epilogue
   References

CHAPTER 6: THE WORLD OF WORDS: THOUGHTS ON
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LEXICON, by Stan A. Kuczaj II
   The word as unit
   What's in a word?
   The representation of meaning
   Reference
   Denotation
   Are object words basic?
   The denotation of early object words
   The problem of too many possibilities
   Is children's acquisition of word meaning constrained?
   Constraints for word meaning acquisition?
   What counts as a constraint?
   Are constraints necessary for word meaning acquisition?
   The acquisition of paradigmatic relations
   Syntagmatic relations
   The interaction of language and cognitive development
   Conclusions
   References

CHAPTER 7: EARLY SYNTACTIC DEVELOPMENT: A
CONSTRUCTION GRAMMAR APPROACH, by Michael
Tomasello and Patricia J. Brooks
   Major steps in early syntactic development
   Processes of development
   Conclusion
   References

CHAPTER 8: SOME ASPECTS OF INNATENESS AND
COMPLEXITY IN GRAMMATICAL ACQUISITION, by
Michael Maratsos
   Introduction: some basic ideas about complexity, innateness, and
   heterogeneity
   Thematic relation mapping in English and other languages:
   massive complexity in some systems
   Formal categories: some developmental issues
   Chomskyan acquisitions: formal and abstruse properties of
   grammar
   Some general conclusions about complex grammatical acquisition
   References

CHAPTER 9: THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONVERSATIONAL
AND DISCOURSE SKILLS, by Barbara A. Pan and Catherine E. Snow
   Development of conversational skills
   Development of discourse skills
   Conclusion
   References

CHAPTER 10: BILINGUAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, by
Suzanne Romaine
   Introduction
   Types of childhood bilingualism
   Theoretical issues in childhood bilingualism
   Input and social context as factors affecting rate and order of
   acquisition
   Is there cognitive advantage to bilingualism?
   References

CHAPTER 11: SIGN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, by John
D. Bonvillian
   Introduction
   Early sign language acquisition: similarities and differences with
   spoken language development
   Hand preference in early signing
   The development of gestural communication in the absence of a
   language model
   The emergence of a new sign language
   Is there a critical period for sign language acquisition?
   Sign communication training for mute, low-functioning children
   Concluding remarks
   References

CHAPTER 12: LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN ATYPICAL
CHILDREN, by Helen Tager-Flusberg
   Introduction
   Down Syndrome
   Williams Syndrome
   Autism
   Other atypical populations
   Conclusions
   References

CHAPTER 13: SPECIFIC LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT, by Paul
Fletcher
   Introduction
   Subject description
   The LAD deficit hypothesis
   SLI in other languages
   How specific is specific language impairment?
   Residual issues
   Conclusion
   References

CHAPTER 14: TOWARDS A BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE OF
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, by John Locke
   Introduction
   Explaining language development
   Ontogenetic phases
   A proposed goal-directed model
   Concluding remarks
   References


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Professor Martyn Barrett
Department of Psychology
University of Surrey
Guildford
Surrey GU2 5XH
UK

Tel: (01483) 876862
Fax: (01483) 259553
Email: m.barrett at surrey.ac.uk
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