Jump to content
Home
Forum
Articles
About Us
Tapestry
This is the EYFS Staging Site ×

Language


Guest

Recommended Posts

Hello, sorry if this has been done before or if it is really obvious, but does language come under cognition? I am doing my literature review for my research project and I keep coming back to language but I want to make it sound posh lol.

 

Thanks in advance! :o

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Wolfie

And think of all the theory and theorists linking language and thought - I think it's a definite yes on reflection!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are a number of different theories

 

Theories

 

Some theorists argue that children learn language passively; others that children are actively involved in constructing meaning. Then again, some theorists argue that the environment is all important in language acquisition, while others argue that children just pick language up naturally because humans are predisposed to do so.

 

Here is a brief outline of the main schools of thought and the linguist(s) most associated with it:

 

Imitation – Skinner: Children learn to speak by copying the utterances heard around them and by having their responses strengthened by the repetitions, corrections and other reactions that adults provide.

 

Innateness – Chomsky: Children are born with an innate capacity for language development. The human brain is ‘ready’ for language, so much so that when children are exposed to speech they pick it up naturally and begin to work out the underlying rules for themselves. In this view, children have a Language Acquisition Device or LAD, which enables them to make sense of the utterances they hear.

 

Cognition – Piaget: Language development is related to cognitive development, that is, the development of the child’s thinking determines when the child can learn to speak and what the child can say. For example, before a child can say, “This car is bigger than that one”, s/he must have developed the ability to judge differences in size. In Piaget’s view, children learn to talk ‘naturally’ when they are ‘ready’ without any deliberate teaching by adults.

 

Functions – Halliday; Language is acquired in a social context – that is by interacting with other people. Children first learn how to communicate by using gestures such as arm-raising, head-shaking and pointing or by making noises; these are used to achieve functions such as controlling the behaviour of others (e.g. head-shaking could mean “Don’t do that”) or satisfying a physical need (e.g. pointing could mean “I want that.”) Later the child begins to use what Halliday calls protolanguage (the child’s own words) and, finally, conventional words are used. Gradually the constraints of speaking (e.g. the need to be clear and to be expressive) force the child to make longer utterances and mould the structure of the child’s language.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all those replies. I have been doing a lot of reading for my research project about imaginative play and it was the Vygotsky link that made me wonder (rather stupidly) if language is linked to cognition. I think I am finding a common thread with my reading but like I said, wanted it to sound posh :o

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good luck, I will be starting my research project early i.e. this summer due to my SEN and not knowing if I can find enough on outdoor play to reserach!

Good idea (with regard to outdoor play research :o ) - Helen Bilton came to give a presentation to our EYFS group and when asked where to look for up to date research on outdoor play she said there wasn't much around and that she needs to update herself...

 

Maz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Helen Bilton's 2001 book: Outdoor Play: Management and Innovation is one of the biggest resources I am having to use for my project, because as has been rightly said, there isn't really an awful lot around on it, particularly when paired with imaginative play. I'm having to research the two as seperate subjects and try and mingle them together, whilst adding my own research to them, for example, through my observations, questionnaires etc.

 

It is a busy time Beth, as I am finishing my degree about a month and a half before everyone else so I am cramming all this information in not only for the research project, but also for the professional development module, maths/KUW, CLL/CD modules and have yet to start the PSE module. I also have an exam to do, three days after my baby is due, so the pressure is really on. The college have been really good though and have said that they will support me to get to the end. I know if I don't finish it this year, it will go unfinished for the rest of my life and I will regret not doing it. I really can't see myself going through it again with a 4 year old and a newborn. Saying that though, I do hope to go to Roehampton to do the teaching thing, so maybe my ideas will change!

 

All I can say is even though you are really busy getting other things finished off, try to think about what you are going to research and start looking for resources because as I am finding out now (with less than 2 months to go before it's handed in) there is A LOT of reading involved and it will take you all over the place for more information. Even now, when the proposal has been handed in and marked, I am beginning to think I should have chosen something else, but with so little time left, I'm going to persevere with it and hope that it comes off ok. I only need 40% to pass (I know I should be aiming higher lol) so that is realistically what I am heading towards. I will be gutted if that's all I get as my grades have been quite a bit higher than that all through the first year and into this year. Still only 4 months and counting until the end of the whole thing... :o

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for all that information I will look at it later when I have time.

 

I am trying to complete my last assgiment which is proving to be extremely difficult due to not being taught very much duing the module. I don't think I can meet the 3000 word limit and it has to be in on Thursday morning. I must admit that the task is very boring and hard to seperate children's rights from incusion due to having a new module starting at the end of the month on children's rights.

 

 

 

Beth

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. (Privacy Policy)