Early linguistic reference to first and second person depends on social understanding as well as language skills: Evidence from Czech 30-month-olds

2020 ◽  
pp. 014272372093889
Author(s):  
Filip Smolík ◽  
Veronika Bláhová
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Social Understanding ◽  
Second Person ◽  
Person Reference ◽  
Early Use ◽  
Mental State Language ◽  
The One ◽  
First Words ◽  
State Language

The early use of first and second person pronouns has been viewed as a sign of emerging social understanding. However, it may also depend on general language development: pronouns do not appear among the first words children acquire. In addition, some languages conjugate verbs for person, and the inflections may thus show similar relations to social understanding and language as pronouns. Very few studies have examined the relations between early person reference on the one hand and both social understanding and language development on the other. The present study used data on spontaneous language transcripts and language tasks from 58 Czech-speaking children aged 30 months to examine the relations between person reference, social understanding, and general language development. Social understanding was estimated from children’s use of the mental state language (MSL). The results confirm that both MSL and general language development show unique relations to person reference with pronouns as well as verbs.

Mental State Language Use in Children with Down Syndrome and the Role of Caregivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (04) ◽  
pp. 318-329
Author(s):  
Marie Moore Channell ◽  
Rebekah Bosley
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Mental State Language ◽  
State Language

AbstractChildren with Down syndrome (DS) have both strengths and difficulties in speech, language, and social communication. Mental state language—the ability to discuss others' perspectives such as their thoughts, feelings, and intentions—represents a foundational social communicative skill that is delayed in many children with DS, even into the school-age years. The purpose of this article is to review the evidence base on mental state language development in school-age children with DS, focusing in particular on assessment and intervention. We discuss assessment procedures that are both age appropriate and developmentally appropriate for this population. We also present preliminary data highlighting the role of caregivers in supporting mental state language development in school-age children with DS through shared storytelling. We propose that interventions aimed at supporting mental state language development in DS should include a focus on caregiver–child shared storybook reading, even in the school-age years. Therefore, we discuss key considerations for clinicians when teaching caregivers strategies for supporting mental state language and social communication in children with DS.

MENTAL STATE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: THE LONGITUDINAL ROLES OF ATTACHMENT AND MATERNAL LANGUAGE

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Becker Razuri ◽  
Amanda R. Hiles Howard ◽  
Karyn B. Purvis ◽  
David R. Cross
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Maternal Language ◽  
Mental State Language ◽  
State Language

scholarly journals How Do Parents Use Mental State Language During Narration To Their 2- and 4-Year-Old Children?

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 516-533
Author(s):  
Joanna Jakubowska ◽  
Marta Szpak ◽  
Marta Białecka-Pikul
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Social Understanding ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Mental State Language ◽  
Mental State Terms ◽  
Mental State Talk ◽  
Time Point ◽  
State Language

Abstract Parents influence the development of children’s social understanding by using mental state terms that denote concepts which children are about to develop (Taumoepeau & Ruffman, 2006, 2008) or via the usage of contrastive and/or causal mental state talk (Peterson & Slaughter, 2003). The present longitudinal study examined parent-child dyads and assessed parental mental state talk (MST) during picture-book narration. Seventy-four parents told their children a story twice, when the children were 2 and 4 years old. The same wordless picture book was used to elicit the narration at each time point. Two criteria were used to classify MST: type of utterance (affective, perceptual, or cognitive) and complexity of utterance (simple or clarifying). Parental MST was more frequent in narrations to 4-yearolds than to 2-year-olds. Parents directed more complex MST to 4-year-old children than to 2-year-olds. Affective references were most common at both time points, while cognitive utterances hardly occurred. Nevertheless, growing trends were observed in all types of MST. The results suggest that parents match their MST to the children’s level of social understanding development.

scholarly journals Variations in the Home Language Environment and Early Language Development in Rural China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2671
Author(s):  
Yue Ma ◽  
Laura Jonsson ◽  
Tianli Feng ◽  
Tyler Weisberg ◽  
Teresa Shao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Child Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Early Language ◽  
Early Language Development ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Conversational Turns ◽  
Home Language Environment

The home language environment is critical to early language development and subsequent skills. However, few studies have quantitatively measured the home language environment in low-income, developing settings. This study explores variations in the home language environment and child language skills among households in poor rural villages in northwestern China. Audio recordings were collected for 38 children aged 20–28 months and analyzed using Language Environment Analysis (LENA) software; language skills were measured using the MacArthur–Bates Mandarin Communicative Developmental Inventories expressive vocabulary scale. The results revealed large variability in both child language skills and home language environment measures (adult words, conversational turns, and child vocalizations) with 5- to 6-fold differences between the highest and lowest scores. Despite variation, however, the average number of adult words and conversational turns were lower than found among urban Chinese children. Correlation analyses did not identify significant correlations between demographic characteristics and the home language environment. However, the results do indicate significant correlations between the home language environment and child language skills, with conversational turns showing the strongest correlation. The results point to a need for further research on language engagement and ways to increase parent–child interactions to improve early language development among young children in rural China.

scholarly journals Mental state language and quality of conversational experience in deaf and hearing children

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 41-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Morgan ◽  
Marek Meristo ◽  
Wolfgang Mann ◽  
Erland Hjelmquist ◽  
Luca Surian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental State ◽  
Mental State Language ◽  
Hearing Children ◽  
State Language
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