Factors Influencing the Acquisition of Language in Children - Essay Example

? Factors influencing the acquisition of language in children affiliation Factors influencing the acquisition of languagein children All human beings have specific characters and behaviors. According to Gil (2006), these traits are acquired during young and middle childhood. At this age children usually develop interest in activities and interactions. The development of a child’s behavior, character and language is molded at this point of their lives. Between the age of 2 to 10 children imitate what they see and hear. They tend to mock what they find interest in and imitate what they are exposed to for a long time. It is for this reason that parents are advised to be careful on what their children are exposed to. The environment has several influential factors. These factors revolve around social life, culture identification and cognitive factors. They do not need a lot of tutoring to emulate the effects of these factors. These three factors are usually responsible for the language a child emulates and acquire. Language forms the basis of interaction both in cultural and social ties. The language people speak gives then their social and cultural identity. This provides the exposure children need to emulate and acquire a certain language. In words by Moskowitz (2001), children learn easily from social and cultural circles faster than any other environmental factor. Apart from the language a child acquires, the composition of a child’s language can be easily influenced by the social and cultural identity. This paper will focus on the language acquisition in children. It will identify the cognitive, social and cultural factors that influence the acquisition of language in children. Social factors hold the most significance in the development and acquisition of a child’s language (Rubin, 2005). He further argues that a child can easily relate to another child when speaking in different languages. For instance, it is usually a common scenario to observe children of different language identities come together to play. This is because they have not permanently acquired their language identity. If they are exposed to other languages they tend to understand the language and if the exposure persists, they acquire the language. However, this may be possible if the child has strong social ties with their peers. A child’s social life is characterized by experimental moods and episodes. To interact in their social circles, they need a common language of identity and communication. It may be verbal communication or non-verbal communication. Regardless of their native language, they develop a common language that everyone understands. According to Saxton (2010) , this developed language remains their identity language even after they reach adulthood. This is evidence that the social ties at young age are strong factors in language acquisition in a child. Another social factor is the type of social activity children indulge in. It is usually an assumption that children who indulge in outdoor activities tend to have natural language acquisition as compared to children who indulge in indoor hobbies. This is because children emulate what they find intriguing on television. On television children have role models and mentors. They tend to copy how the peak and what they speak to create their own language identity. For example, if a child loves Jim Carey’s personality on television, the chances of the child being sarcastic is very high. They will be always speaking in a funny language. If this persists throughout their childhood, the child will eventually acquire the Jim Carey way of speaking in almost their entire life (Saxton, 2010). Cultural identity has its fair share in the influence of language acquisition in a child. Cultural factors mostly influence the etiquette in a child’s language. Additionally, cultural ties shape the perception of a child towards life occurrences and thus shaping the child’s language when relating to these occurrences. According to Gil & Drewes (2005) cultures also shape the tone of the language a child speaks. In most African cultures, children are forbidden to address their elders regarding delicate issues. This generally creates a respectful trait towards any grown up. The culture instills the respect when it comes to the use of language (Saxton, 2010). This formula is used in generation after generation which eventually leads to a generation of courteous children and individuals. Culture also dictates the pronunciation and tones of language children use. When listening to a British and an African American, there is a noticeable common difference. The difference is on how they tone their words. Additionally, there are some words that an African American will be comfortable using that but the Briton would be uncomfortable with. This is because of the culture they are exposed to. They are exposed to a specific culture in which they emulate the culture’s preferences in terms of acquisition of language (Rubin, 2005). Generation after generation the cultural difference in language cannot be extinct. And it is for this reason cultural ties can be indentified regardless the location in this world. Cognitive factors arise from the exposures a child has during their early life. As a child grows their cognitive ability becomes sharper and sharper. As their cognitive abilities evolve, they acquire the exposure they have been subjected to. With age children relate their experiences in their minds. Depending on their experiences and exposure they acquire a language that will define these experiences. Some common experiences that may lead to a cognitive language acquisition are violence and vulgar language (Gil, 2006). Children exposed to violence use abusive and very disrespectful language. The violence they are exposed to gives them a negative mental picture. Their language is usually the only way to describe their mental negativity. It is the same scenario when dealing with children leaving in an abusive environment. They acquire the abusive language which may be part of their language for a long time in their lives. It is evident that the exposure of social, cultural and cognitive factors may significantly affect a child’s language. With their weak mental abilities and strengths, children acquire what they are exposed to often (Moskowitz, 2001). It is for this reason that parents and guardians are advised to mind what their children are exposed to. References Gil, E. & Drewes, A. (2005). Cultural issues in ply therapy. New York: Guilford. Gil, E. (2006). Helping abused and traumatized children. New York: Guilford. Moskowitz, G. (2001) Cognitive social psychology: the Princeton Symposium on the Legacy and Future of Social Cognition .London: Routledge Rubin, J. (2005). Child Art Therapy. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Saxton, M. (2010). Child Language: Acquisition and Development. London: SAGE publications Read More