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Child Language: Acquisition and Growth
Paperback / softback
Main Details
Title |
Child Language: Acquisition and Growth
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Authors and Contributors |
By (author) Barbara C. Lust
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Series | Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics |
Physical Properties |
Format:Paperback / softback | Pages:410 | Dimensions(mm): Height 244,Width 173 |
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Category/Genre | Psycholinguistics |
ISBN/Barcode |
9780521449229
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Classifications | Dewey:401.93 |
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Audience | Professional & Vocational | Tertiary Education (US: College) | |
Illustrations |
29 Tables, unspecified
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Publishing Details |
Publisher |
Cambridge University Press
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Imprint |
Cambridge University Press
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Publication Date |
21 September 2006 |
Publication Country |
United Kingdom
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Description
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.
Author Biography
Barbara Lust is Professor in the Department of Human Development, Cornell University.
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
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