Language Development - Essay Example

Language development is the process where individuals acquire or learn how to communicate using words that have different meanings, depending on the context in which they are used and placed, in a sentence. A gradual learning process that goes through stages, which have been defined and classified for easier understanding, characterizes language development in children. This paper aims at addressing language development in children by looking at different aspects of this learning process. Children become bilingual through four types of bilingualism, which include simultaneous bilingualism, receptive bilingualism, rapid successive bilingualism and slow successive bilingualism (Barrett, 1999).

In all of these aspects of language acquisition, language imbalance should be considered when gauging the extent and ability of the child in the process of learning a second language. Language imbalance is brought about by a conflict between two or more languages that a child is exposed to in the development process (Hoff, 2009). Influences on vocabulary are characterized by a myriad of factors in a child’s life both at school and at home. Vocabulary development is influenced by language socialization that takes two general styles of child-rising that are child-centered and situation centered.

In the child centered approach, adults use two strategies of self-lowering through baby talk and child rising by interpreting unintelligible gibberish(Barrett, 1999). The situation-centered approach does not require adults to simplify their language, but children are expected to learn, understand and produce adult-like speech mannerism.Second language learners can be exposed to meaningful learning activities that encourage them to practice their new language frequently.