Language Development Research Articles

South African English: social and linguistic aspects

The research work is devoted to the analysis of the English language variability specific characteristics in the context of modern community globalization process. The research proves that the English language variant, adapting to the realities of local languages and cultures, acquires new sociolinguistic properties. The aim of the study is to identify the specifics of such a variant of the English language as the South African English which was formed during the contact interaction of the British English language and the autochthonous languages and cultures of South Africa. The key properties of the South African English are revealed on the basis of methods groups: analysis and synthesis; comparative analysis; and the method of component analysis. The key attention is paid to the historical process formation of South African English and to the development of the English language and its role in the life of South Africa. The complex nature of long-term historical inter language and intercultural interaction has led to the formation of a heterogeneous structure of South African society, is which is presented by Europeans, numerous local peoples, Indians and their descendants living on the same territory. The complex differentiation of South African society has defined a unique variety of languages, dialects, and sociolects, among which English has a special social prestige and unites all other languages. Having a multicomponent structure, sociolinguistic differentiation of South African society contributed to the emergence and functioning a series of South African English variants types in one territory. These types are: Black South African English, White South African English, Coloured South African English. The English language of each sociolinguistic group has unique features that manifest themselves to a greater extent at the phonetic level.

Analysis of the Linguistic Personality as a Subject of Psycholinguistic Research: Dynamics of Development and Forecasts for the Future

This study explores the psycholinguistic aspects of speech as a cognitive process, integrating linguistic, communicative, and socio-cultural elements. The research addresses the novelty of examining how segmentation, comprehension, storage, and information integration contribute to enhancing communication skills and developing speech abilities. Additionally, it introduces a fresh perspective on psycholinguistic discourse analysis, highlighting the importance of collaboration between disciplines such as psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and artificial intelligence. The key findings indicate that linguistic markers (LM) and discourse markers (DM) are crucial in processing speech and interaction. The study also emphasizes the multimodal aspects of communication – written language, gestures, gazes, and postures – as essential factors in speech perception. The results demonstrate that revising the epistemological framework for understanding discourse semantics is necessary for advancing the field. By proposing new approaches, the study lays the groundwork for future interdisciplinary research and contributes to advancing knowledge of psycholinguistics and communication studies. This study emphasizes the interdisciplinary integration of psycholinguistics and communication studies, focusing on the role of linguistic and discourse markers in cognitive and social interactions. The findings advocate for enhancing educational approaches by integrating psycholinguistic insights to support language development. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of language processing dynamics by addressing challenges in multimodal communication and cognitive load management. It paves the way for innovative applications in artificial intelligence and sociolinguistics.

Inferring Word Class and Meaning From Spoken and Written Texts: A Comparison of Children With and Without Developmental Language Disorder.

The aim of the study was to determine the ability of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) to infer word class and meaning from text and to document variations by word class (noun, verb, adjective) and modality (listening, reading). We also asked whether the children could integrate global cues across the entire passage as well as local cues from the immediate sentence frame to support inferences. Fourth graders with DLD (n = 28) and typical language development (TLD; n = 41) read and listened to expository texts and guessed the noun, verb, and adjective removed from each. Adults (n = 20) completed the task to establish a baseline of correct responses. We used latent semantic analysis (LSA) to determine the semantic fit of the responses to the texts and to determine whether global cues were more difficult for children with DLD than local cues. The DLD group was 24% less accurate than the TLD group. In both diagnostic groups, accuracy varied by word class (nouns > adjectives > verbs) but not modality (reading = listening). Word class errors were rare, and errors of semantic fit were frequent. LSA cosines were higher for correct responses relative to the passage as a whole than the immediate sentence frame, suggesting that both groups mined the more extensive information in the global cues to support inferences. Compared to the TLD group, the DLD group tended to make "worse" errors: repeating words from the sentence frame or coming up with no response at all. Accuracy in the DLD group, but not the TLD group, was related to vocabulary knowledge. When the two groups were collapsed, scores on verbal short-term/working memory and sustained attention also predicted performance, but weaknesses in these aspects of executive function on the part of individuals with DLD did not fully explain the difference between the performance of the DLD and TLD groups. Whether listening or reading, fourth graders with DLD are less able to infer word meaning from texts than their age-mates. The problem reflects, in part, deficits in executive function and lexical semantic knowledge.

Group and Individual Learning Profiles of Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency in L2 English Writing at Secondary School

According to Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST), language development is an individually owned process. CDST studies should draw from both group-based and individual-based data since research results should not be generalized from the group to the individual and vice versa unless the group is an ergodic ensemble. This paper describes a part of a sequential mixed method (MM) study in which group-based data obtained in a panel study were further analysed with respect to all individual learners. The aim of the study was to examine the individual learners’ development of syntactic complexity, accuracy, lexical complexity, and fluency (CALF) in L2 English writing at secondary school in comparison to the whole group. The study was based on The Written English Developmental Corpus of Polish Learners (WEDCPL), which includes 1,923 essays written by one hundred learners during twenty-one data waves organized over the period of three years at secondary school. The results of the study indicated that the individual learners rarely differed from the group in terms of the average CALF results, but in terms of progress over time, most learners represented different learning profiles than the group. The main implication for practitioners is to empower moreindividual learners to succeed in L2.

Current trends in the pronunciation of consonants before the letter ‘e’ in words of foreign origin at the present stage of development of the Russian language

Current trends in the pronunciation of consonants before the letter ‘e’ in words of foreign origin at the present stage of development of the Russian language

Generative versus Constrained Contexts: Differentiating the Language Learning Opportunities in Early Childhood Classrooms

ABSTRACT Language is considered an essential component of children’s development; however, gaps persist regarding ways in which teachers can foster and support language development in early childhood classrooms. Accordingly, we utilized an inductive approach to generate insights into factors supporting children’s language in a purposeful sample of early childhood classrooms. Drawing on methodologies from the “beating the odds” and “effective teachers” literatures, we selected 30 classrooms where preschool-aged children made higher language gains along with 30 classrooms in which preschool-aged children made lower language gains. We used a grounded approach to analyze fall and spring classroom video observations and generate a theory regarding language-related classroom practices and children’s experiences. We characterized the higher language gains classrooms as generative contexts and the lower language gains classrooms as constrained contexts. Children in generative contexts had frequent, sustained, and diverse opportunities to learn, use, and make meaning with language and concepts. Their teachers supported dynamic participation that was responsive to children’s contributions and learning needs. These experiences were inconsistent and infrequent in constrained contexts. Findings highlight the importance of taking a holistic perspective and child-focused lens in this and future research and have implications for early childhood instruction and teacher professional learning.

The story so far: scoping review of narratives in deaf children.

Narrative language samples can be used to measure language development in children, but research on narrative development in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children is scarce, limiting knowledge of developmental stages and best practices for collection and analysis. This scoping review included 39 articles that explored recent methodologies and achievements in oral or signed narratives of DHH children, including comparisons with hearing peers and within-group analyses of early auditory experience, device use, and other measures. Articles featured DHH participants aged < 4 to 18years, varying in device use, communication modalities, and educational settings. Most studies utilized story generation tasks with early elementary-aged children and analyzed either microstructure or macrostructure. Mixed results in comparisons with hearing children emphasized the need to consider individual differences (e.g., speech perception and age of spoken language access) in DHH narrative assessments. Findings also suggest that comparability across studies would be improved by more consistent terminology and procedures in narrative collection/analysis.

Sequential or simultaneous bilateral cochlear implantation: attention, memory, and language skills in children.

The effect of the inter-implant interval time on language and communication skills has been a subject of research for years in children with bilateral cochlear implants. This study aimed to investigate language and some attention and memory skills in children with bilateral sequential and simultaneous cochlear implants. The study included a total of 40 children aged between 6 and 8years old, grouping bilateral simultaneous cochlear implanted children, sequential implanted children with 0-2years interval, sequential implanted children with 2-4years interval, and normal hearing peers. The language skills of the children were assessed using the Test of Language Development: Primary 4th edition, their selective attention and coping skills with disruptive effect were evaluated using the Stroop test, sustained attention and visual-motor synchronization skills were assessed using the Cancellation Test, and short-term memory skills were evaluated using the Visual Auditory Digit Span Test. The findings were analyzed using nonparametric statistical methods, with a significance level set at 0.05. Children with bilateral simultaneous cochlear implants demonstrated better performance in language skills and the attention-related subtests of the Stroop test (p < 0.05). On the other hand, children with simultaneous and sequential cochlear implants achieved similar scores in the Cancellation and the Visual Auditory Digit Span Test (p > 0.05). Bilateral simultaneous cochlear implantation in children is beneficial for language, selective attention, and coping with the Stroop effect. However, these children may still lag behind their normal-hearing peers in terms of language, attention, and memory skills.

Movement Coordination's Link with Common Ground During Dyadic Peer Discourse in Typically Developing and Autistic Speakers.

Common ground (CG)-a pragmatic capability that reflects the construction of shared meaning by two interlocutors during conversation-is widely accepted as crucial for effective communication, but its exploration has been limited in the context of children's peer-to-peer interaction. Specifically, this study aimed to explore CG differences between typically developing (TD) and autistic populations, CG's developmental trajectories, as well as the link between CG and motor coordination skills during peer interactions. Study participants included 148 children (6-16 years), comparing 64 TD and 84 autistic children across three age levels. Fixed dyads matched on IQ, age, sex, and mother's education performed a CG tangram-card task and complementary joint action (JA) tasks to evaluate peer-to-peer movement coordination. Individual motor skills were also assessed. As expected, both autistic and TD groups showed increasing efficacy over the 6-turn CG task (fewer words and shorter duration to communicate), although autistic participants were less efficient than TD participants. Better motor skills and JA synchronization correlated with both groups' more efficient CG performance. Additionally, the indirect relationship between group (TD/autism) and CG was mediated by motor skills and JA, with age moderating the relationship between JA and CG. Specifically, better motor skills and socio-motor coordination were associated with more efficient CG creation, particularly in younger children (under 10years). These findings suggest potential novel avenues for early interventions targeting motor and language challenges in autism to enhance pragmatic abilities and peer interactions, offering insights into language development in this population.

The impact of internal and external factors across language domains and features in sequential bilingual acquisition.

Factors which impact bilingual language development can often interact with different language features. The current study teases apart the impact of internal and external factors (chronological age, length of exposure, L2 richness, L2 use at home, maternal education and maternal L2 proficiency) across linguistic domains and features (vocabulary, morphology and syntax). Participants were 40 Arabic-speaking sequential bilinguals acquiring English (5;7-12;2, M = 8;4). Length of exposure predicted vocabulary and morphology, while chronological age predicted syntax. L2 richness also predicted vocabulary and syntax, although the impact on syntax was selective across structures. This split between syntax on the one hand, and vocabulary and morphology on the other, reflects the more embedded properties of the former; this contrasts with vocabulary and morphology, where transfer from the L1 and L2 may be more strongly dependent on the availability of shared forms across languages. Further implications are considered for sequential bilinguals in education contexts.

School entry examinations in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1949 to 1989 - An overview of formal and content-related implementation

Summarising the formal and substantive enrolment practice of school entry examinations (SEU) in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Through a systematic literature review using a conventional as well as internet-based sources, specialised literature on specific topics and original documents were made available following selected search terms to capture essential characteristics of SEU in the GDR and to present them in a general context. In the GDR, regular school enrolment took place at the age of 6, although SEU implementation practice during the 1950s and 1960s was fundamentally inconsistent in terms of form and content. On the basis of mandatory annual screening examinations for children, the medical screening examination at pre-school age of 5-6 years was formally valid as a SEU. On a case-by-case basis, the responsible paediatricians carried out supplementary, but non-standardised developmental tests. From the 1970s onwards, the increasing density of kindergarten in the GDR led to their specialist staff getting more involved in the assessment of pre-school children's competences relevant to schooling. In addition, screening at the age of 4-5 years also became more relevant for developmental diagnostic purposes. While various examination procedures were initially used, a standardised inventory of instruments for assessing learning ability, intellectual development and language development gradually emerged during the 1970s. These two staggered SEUs between the age of 4 and 6 years enabled preschool children to be supported if necessary, so that children with developmental delays could be given adequate developmental and educational opportunities. This concept also enabled an intensifying, partly informal cooperation between the specialist staff in the kindergartens, paediatricians, parents and school headmasters. Overall, the SEU in the GDR was based on a professionally and a well thought-out concept from the 1970s onwards. At this time, the standardised, staggered and multidisciplinary approach was methodologically superior to school enrolment practice in West Germany.

Studi Kepustakaan tentang Perkembangan Bahasa pada Anak Sekolah Dasar

The development of language in elementary school children is a crucial topic in the fields of education, developmental psychology, and linguistics. This research addresses significant gaps in understanding how social and educational environments influence language development in children. Using a literature review methodology, the study analyzes various factors affecting language acquisition, including the roles of family, school, and socio-economic status. Data were collected from relevant literature published within the last five years, focusing on the interaction between children and their teachers, peers, and parents. The findings reveal that effective teacher training significantly impacts children's language skills, highlighting the importance of interactive teaching methods. Additionally, children from higher socio-economic backgrounds tend to have better access to educational resources, which positively influences their language development. The results underscore the critical need for a supportive environment that fosters language growth through active engagement. In conclusion, this research contributes to the understanding of how various factors intertwine to shape language abilities in elementary school children, providing insights that can inform educational policies and practices aimed at enhancing literacy and communication skills in Indonesia.

A Scoping Review of Motor and Language Measurement Tools Used in Early Childhood Research

Early childhood is a critical period characterized by rapid development of motor and language skills. Reliably assessing motor and language development in early childhood is difficult, and there is a lack of agreement on measurement tool use. This scoping review aims to identify measurement tools used to examine motor and language skills in infants and young children (0–5 years) when the relationship between these two domains is studied. A scoping review of existing literature on motor and communication skills was conducted across studies measuring gross and/or fine motor and language development in children aged 0–5 years. Systematic searches were conducted in six online databases using carefully selected keywords and search parameters. The resulting corpus of existing literature was reviewed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses. Sixty motor and 99 language measurement tools were found. The most used measurement tools for motor and language skills were the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddlers Development, Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Mullen Scales of Early Learning, MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, and Gross Motor Function Classification System. Of these, the measurements used to address language skills did not include reference to all language aspects, particularly lacking were emphasis on skills associated with phonology, morphology, and pragmatics with more focused attention on the semantic language component. This study refines existing knowledge about commonly used early childhood measurement tools. This may help to inform research and encourage consistent measurement use across studies as well as in clinical practice to improve reliable comparisons across outcomes and use measurement tools with diagnostic purpose. Further, a broader inclusion of discrete language components within measurement tools is warranted to better determine the rich, nuanced relationship between early motor and language skills.

Mentoring task-based language teaching as an innovation in an Indonesian secondary school

Abstract This article seeks to address a lack of research documenting how mentoring can help teachers to introduce TBLT in an Asian context. We report a whole semester project in an Indonesian secondary school where a mentor (an experienced teacher-educator) worked with a teacher, who was used to a structural approach, to introduce task-based language teaching (TBLT) into his classroom. We describe how the mentoring was set up and carried out to pre-empt problems that evaluation studies have shown can arise with TBLT. To evaluate to what extent the mentoring was successful, we conducted a case study employing qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, examining the extent to which the mentoring enabled the teacher to implement TBLT and whether the TBLT resulted in greater learning than in a traditional, structural-oriented classroom. The main findings were that the teacher was successful in transitioning to TBLT as evidenced in his ability to design his own tasks and by the kinds of questions he asked, the strategic use of the learners’ L1 and focus-on-form during the performance of the tasks (i.e., the kinds of interactional features fundamental to TBLT). Another finding was that the learners in the TBLT class also demonstrated greater language development than a comparable structural-oriented class. We utilize the evidence collected from the teacher’s implementation of TBLT to discuss the mentoring that took place and to identify ways of improving it.

Clinical and genetic characteristics of children with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome caused by TCF4 gene variants

The clinical data of children with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (PTHS) who were treated in the Affiliated Women and Children's Hospital of Ningbo University from September 2022 to January 2024 were retrospectively included. The patients were followed up to June 2024, and their clinical and genetic characteristics were analyzed. A total of 4 children were included, 2 males and 2 females, with a diagnostic age [M (Q1, Q3)] of 22 (10, 32) months. All the patients presented with typical facial and overall developmental delay (developmental, motor and language delay). The 4 patients were found to harbor de novo heterozygous variants of the TCF4 gene, including the c.990G>A(p.S330S), c.1417_1418delinsT (p.Pro473ArgfsTer15), c.1028C>G (p.S343*) and c.500-2delinsTC. After 15 months of follow-up, all 4 patients received early rehabilitation treatment, and their gross motor function improved to varying degrees, while 3 patients had no improvement in language function. TCF4 gene variation in 4 children had phenotypic heterogeneity, and the main clinical manifestations were developmental delay, language development disorder and special facial features. Among the gene variation types, there was 1 case each of synonym variation, frameshift variation, nonsense variation and splicing variation.

A literature review on the benefits of wordless picture books for children’s development.

Wordless picture books contain no printed text, a narrative is conveyed solely through illustrations. Professionals are not always convinced of the usefulness of wordless picture books, and an overview of the benefits or disadvantages of these books is also lacking. The aims of this review study were to 1) investigate the benefits and/or disadvantages of wordless picture books for children’s development, and 2) provide an overview of the characteristics of research on using wordless picture books with children. A systematic search yielded 35 peer-reviewed articles on the use of wordless picture books with children (aged 0 to 12). These articles show that wordless books may benefit children’s speech and language development and their psychosocial development. Wordless books may also have a positive impact on children’s environment, which may in turn benefit child development. For example, adults seem to interact with wordless picture books in such a way that they provide the right preconditions for children’s language development. Research on wordless picture books is characterised by small-scale studies with young English-speaking children. Studies with larger and other participant groups are needed. Nevertheless, this study provides evidence that wordless picture books are a promising tool for benefiting children's development.

Language development vs language support: a critical discourse analysis of two Australian universities’ policies on student linguistic capabilities

ABSTRACT Universities in anglophone countries responded to soaring numbers of non-traditional enrolments by expanding student support services. They have done so without being able to guarantee that international students will develop in their English language during a university degree (Humphreys, 2022, The need for English language development in Anglophone higher education settings: A case study from Australia. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 59, 101156, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101156). Some universities have addressed the need to formalise language improvement by formulating English language policies. This article assesses the effectiveness of two Australian university English language policies – one focusing on language support, and the other focusing on language development. By synthesising the capability approach with critical discourse analysis (CDA), the article presents a qualitative evaluation of the linguistic capabilities and practical argumentation of these policies. The article argues that the development-focused policy appears more likely to maximise English improvement since its larger set of linguistic capabilities stands a greater chance of fostering freedom of choice, and its coherent practical argument could establish a clearer understanding among all policy stakeholders. The article considers the implications of this finding for university policy making.

Night Sleep, Parental Bedtime Practices and Language Development in Low-Risk Preterm and Full-Term Late Talkers: A Longitudinal Study in the Third Year of Life.

Background: Studies on night sleep and parental bedtime practices and their associations with language development in populations at risk of language delay and neonatal conditions, such as late talkers and preterm children, are scarce. Objectives: Our objective was to longitudinally examine the development of night sleep (total night sleep difficulties, settling, night waking, and co-sleeping), parental bedtime practices (total parental bedtime practices, active physical comforting, encouraging autonomy, and leaving to cry), and expressive language (word and sentence production), and their associations in low-risk preterm and full-term late talkers from 31 to 37 months of age. Methods: Parents of 38 late talkers, 19 low-risk preterm and 19 full-term children, completed the Italian versions of the Infant Sleep Questionnaire, the Parental Interactive Bedtime Behavior Scale, and the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory Words and Sentences Long Form. Results: Late talkers' night sleep difficulties, such as settling to sleep and night waking, decreased over time, with low-risk preterm late talkers experiencing more night waking and co-sleeping than full-term peers. Parents reported that instances of active physical comforting and leaving to cry also decreased, with parents of low-risk preterm late talkers reporting higher active physical comforting scores than parents of full-term peers. Improvements in parental practices of encouraging autonomy were significantly associated with increased sentence production from 31 to 37 months. Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of monitoring night sleep in preterm and full-term late talkers. They also suggest that populations vulnerable to sleep and language delays may particularly benefit from targeted interventions promoting autonomy in their bedtime routines, which, in turn, could support their language development trajectories.

‘I don’t need professional development; I want institutional development’: legitimising marginalised epistemic capital that disrupts generative AI discourse

ABSTRACT Responding to GenAI technologies, academics press for PLD that informs pedagogical practice and policy development. However, insufficient critical evaluation of whose knowledge informs this and its underlying complexity has resulted in excessively reductive offerings that either champion specific tools or advocate for their prohibition. Engaging with critically complex perspectives provides an opportunity to deepen discourse through untapped funds of knowledge, while considering PLD’s broader role in policy and institutional development. English for Academic Purposes (EAP) lecturers are typically peripheral within universities, positioned as a remedial or technical service who ‘fix’ academic integrity and student language development issues. GenAI disruption has created a heightened demand for language expertise, offering an opportunity for EAP lecturers to advocate for the critical complexity underpinning their funds of knowledge. Using Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) within a Delphi study with senior EAP academics, we argue that engaging with critical complexity can empower institutionally marginalised expertise. The panel established design principles and actionable measures to (i) move beyond individualistic PLD and (ii) formalise the voicing and valuing of diverse expertise through collaboration across institutional hierarchies. Taken together, these offer ways to leverage epistemic relations to disrupt entrenched power structures through transformative PLD and thus catalyse institutional change.

Language matters: realizing the promise of Complex Instruction for multilingual learners

ABSTRACT Access to core subject-area curriculum for students from immigrant backgrounds who are learning the dominant language of instruction has long been a barrier to equitable education around the world, especially in secondary schools. This article explores the promise of Complex Instruction (CI) to address barriers to access for such multilingual learners, demonstrating what they were able to do with language, literacy, and academic content in CI classrooms in one middle school in California. The article illustrates how the curricular and pedagogical structures of CI classrooms facilitated multilingual learners’ academic engagement and opportunities for language development. It also warns that in order to recognise multilingual learners’ successes, teachers’ conceptions of language and literacy may have to change.