Language of the Young Child

Extract

Catherine Grey at 2.10 years.

C=Catherine / Katy (who is "ironing")
D = Dad
M = Mum
(x) = pause in seconds (.) = micropause

C good lord (1) good lord (4) folding it up (8)

D So what did you do at playschool today Katy Grey

C I won't talk about it

M oh really (.) that's a bit cheaty (.) why

C don't want to (unclear) I'm a bit tired at the moment (2)

M you're just going to do the ironing before you go to bed are you (1) like me I'm going to do my ironing tonight too (1) I've got loads of it

C I iron this time I iron your body warmer

M OK (2)

C pretend it to be a goat

M a goat

C a coat (1) coat

M what you doing now (1) what you ironing now

C this

M what is it

C no it's a snuggy blanket

M ah

C its a snuggy blanket (1) my snuggy blanket

(4 second pause)

D what are you going to do for your birthday this year Katy Grey

C erm eat sausages on sticks

D sausages on sticks

C yes like at joa's party

D mmhm (2) and how old are you going to be

C (h) three [hwee]

D three (.) you will be big (1) is it nearly your birthday now

C yes nearly Christmas time

M who are you going to have to your party //who// shall we have

C //erm//

C joa at my party

M joa yeah

C and jonathan

M mmhm jonathan

C ross

M what other friends have you got

C leo can come

M leo mmhm

C leo will come to my party

M that's a good idea (.) he didn't come last year did he (3) anybody else

C leo can to this this my next party

M yes if we send him an invitation

C yes (.) and me an invitation

M send you an invitation ok (1) anybody else going to come

C yes (1) erm (1) who else

M whose birthday is the same day as yours

C harriet will come

M harriet ... she can come but who has a birthday the same day as your birthday

C she'll come to my birthday (1) can and

M who else was at joa's party who might come to your party

C who else came to my party

M alastair

C (h) who

D what games are you going to play at your party

C who else (h) who else is going to come to my party (h)

M perhaps jesse

C jesse

M what games shall we play

C (h) who else can (1) who else

M don't know

C philippa

M oh (.) nearly forgot

C who else

M I think that's probably enough (.) don't you (.) and then we'll have to think of games to play

C pass the parcel

M could do (1) anything else

C a drink

M any more games

C and I'll have a (h) hedgehog like joa's

M you want a hedgehog for a big cake

C yes

Commentary

At the age of two this child has a considerable but not complete grasp of the basics of English. She can converse, suggest, express and respond. She simplifies the structure of utterances and their pronunciation but is usually understood. She can maintain a topic despite attempts of her parents to change it. At times she misunderstands what she hears and stumbles in replying but she is an increasingly competent language user.
Note that the parents respond in a simplified way too, reacting to her simplified language by repeating and sometimes refining what she has said. they listen carefully in order to interpret what she says and they tend to make the lead by asking her questions to stimulate language activity.

Tasks

1. Rewrite a section of the transcript in standard English. What differences are there? Explain the differences in terms of the child's language development.

2. What examples can you find of Catherine's limited range of sounds?

3. What examples can you find of her simplification of sentence structure? What syntactic elements have been missed out in the process of simplification?

4. What examples can find of virtuous errors?