Child Language: Acquisition and Growth (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics)

Child Language: Acquisition and Growth (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics)

by Barbara C . Lust (Author)

Synopsis

The remarkable way in which young children acquire language has long fascinated linguists and developmental psychologists alike. Language is a skill that we have essentially mastered by the age of three, and with incredible ease and speed, despite the complexity of the task. This accessible textbook introduces the field of child language acquisition, exploring language development from birth. Setting out the key theoretical debates, it considers questions such as what characteristics of the human mind make it possible to acquire language; how far acquisition is biologically programmed and how far it is influenced by our environment; what makes second language learning (in adulthood) different from first language acquisition; and whether the specific stages in language development are universal across languages. Clear and comprehensive, it is set to become a key text for all courses in child language acquisition, within linguistics, developmental psychology and cognitive science.

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More Information

Format: Illustrated
Pages: 410
Edition: Illustrated
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 21 Sep 2006

ISBN 10: 0521449227
ISBN 13: 9780521449229
Book Overview: An accessible introduction to child language acquisition, exploring language development from birth.

Media Reviews
'... this glimpse into a different scientific tradition, coupled with the opportunity to grasp the complexity of this uniquely human skill made this book well worth reading...' Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
This volume provides an excellent overview of the theoretical and empirical advances in this field over the past 30 years...The writing is lucid and engaging... -Susan A. Gelman, University of Michigan: Studies in Second Language Acquisition
Author Bio
Barbara Lust is Professor in the Department of Human Development, Cornell University, New York.