Language Acquisition

Catalog description

This course introduces research, theory, and practical applications pertinent to first language acquisition. The development of language is explored through its five major components: phonology, pragmatics, semantics, morphology, and syntax. Stages of acquisition are traced from pre-linguistic communication in infancy through adolescents' use of abstract thinking and expressions. Distinctions between language disorders and developmental differences are considered, as are relationships between language and literacy skills (reading and writing).