9 - Language development

Summary

Humans acquire languages and develop their language abilities under diverse conditions. It may be their first or their second language, and development may take place at different ages. These different conditions also have an effect on the development of functional categories, as will be shown in this chapter.

In first language development generally, lexical categories are acquired before functional categories, with some exceptions. In second language development, a much more chaotic picture emerges. Initially some categories are present in rudimentary form, others not at all. In simultaneous bilingual child language development, the two systems with their respective functional categories tend to be kept apart, although there is some convergence as well.

The present chapter will systematically survey some of the more detailed studies in this area, comparing the various conditions of language development.

First language development

In the study of child first language development the lexical/functional distinction has played an important role. It has been frequently noted that children use very few grammatical elements while in the one-word and two-word stages of language acquisition. Brown (1976 [1973]: 99): ‘the sentences the child makes are like adult telegrams in that they are largely made up of nouns and verbs (with a few adjectives and adverbs) and in that they generally do not use prepositions, conjunctions, articles, and auxiliary verbs’. This is the basis for what Brown called the ‘telegraphic speech’ analysis.