scholarly journals Preschoolers Optimize the Timing of Their Conversational Turns Through Flexible Coordination of Language Comprehension and Production

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 504-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Lindsay ◽  
Chiara Gambi ◽  
Hugh Rabagliati

Conversation is the natural setting for language learning and use, and a key property of conversation is the smooth taking of turns. In adult conversations, delays between turns are minimal (typically 200 ms or less) because listeners display a striking ability to predict what their partner will say, and they formulate a response before their partner’s turn ends. Here, we tested how this ability to coordinate comprehension and production develops in preschool children. In an interactive paradigm, 106 children (ages 3–5 years) and 48 adults responded to questions that varied in predictability but were controlled for linguistic complexity. Using a novel distributional approach to data analysis, we found that when children can predict a question’s ending, they leave shorter gaps before responding, suggesting that they can optimize the timing of their conversational turns like adults do. In line with a recent ethological theory of turn taking, this early competency helps explain how conversational contexts support language development.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Gambi

Conversation is the natural setting for language learning and use, and a key property of conversation is the smooth taking of turns. In adult conversations, delays between turns are minimal (typically 200ms or less), because listeners display a striking ability to predict what their partner will say, and formulate a response before their partner’s turn ends. Here, we test how this ability to coordinate comprehension and production develops in preschool children. In an interactive paradigm, one-hundred-and-six 3-to-5-year-olds (and forty-eight adults) responded to questions that varied in predictability, but were controlled for linguistic complexity. Using a novel distributional approach to data analysis, we show that when children can predict a question’s ending, they leave shorter gaps before responding, suggesting that they, like adults, can optimize the timing of their conversational turns. In line with a recent ethological theory of turn-taking, this early competency helps explain how conversational contexts support language development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (7) ◽  
pp. 3484-3491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naja Ferjan Ramírez ◽  
Sarah Roseberry Lytle ◽  
Patricia K. Kuhl

Parental language input is one of the best predictors of children’s language achievement. Parentese, a near-universal speaking style distinguished by higher pitch, slower tempo, and exaggerated intonation, has been documented in speech directed toward young children in many countries. Previous research shows that the use of parentese and parent–child turn-taking are both associated with advances in children’s language learning. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine whether a parent coaching intervention delivered when the infants are 6, 10, and 14 mo of age can enhance parental language input and whether this, in turn, changes the trajectory of child language development between 6 and 18 mo of age. Families of typically developing 6-mo-old infants (n = 71) were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Naturalistic first-person audio recordings of the infants’ home language environment and vocalizations were recorded when the infants were 6, 10, 14, and 18 mo of age. After the 6-, 10-, and 14-mo recordings, intervention, but not control parents attended individual coaching appointments to receive linguistic feedback, listen to language input in their own recordings, and discuss age-appropriate activities that promote language growth. Intervention significantly enhanced parental use of parentese and parent–child turn-taking between 6 and 18 mo. Increases in both variables were significantly correlated with children’s language growth during the same period, and children’s language outcomes at 18 mo. Using parentese, a socially and linguistically enhanced speaking style, improves children’s social language turn-taking and language skills. Research-based interventions targeting social aspects of parent–child interactions can enhance language outcomes.


1984 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Goldstein

A simultaneous treatments design was used to compare the effects of modeling and corrected practice on generative language acquisition of six preschool children. New syntactic forms used to describe agent-action and agent-action-object stimuli were taught concurrently. All six children learned both new syntactic forms. However, generative language learning was accomplished more efficiently with corrected practice, irrespective of the number of words or the linguistic complexity of utterance forms. When modeling was not effective initially, instructing two children to start talking like the model resulted in rapid observational learning. It is suggested that descriptive researchers may have prematurely discounted the possible role of corrected practice in the enhancement of language learning. This analog study indicates that corrected practice should provide a more efficient approach for establishing generalized syntactic responding, at least initially, in language intervention programs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick De Graaff

In this epilogue, I take a teaching practice and teacher education perspective on complexity in Instructed Second Language Acquisition. I take the stance that it is essential to understand if and how linguistic complexity relates to learning challenges, what the implications are for language pedagogy, and how this challenges the role of the teacher. Research shows that differences in task complexity may lead to differences in linguistic complexity in language learners’ speech or writing. Different tasks (e.g. descriptive vs narrative) and different modes (oral vs written) may lead to different types and levels of complexity in language use. On the one hand, this is a challenge for language assessment, as complexity in language performance may be affected by task characteristics. On the other hand, it is an opportunity for language teaching: using a diversity of tasks, modes and text types may evoke and stretch lexically and syntactically complex language use. I maintain that it is essential for teachers to understand that it is at least as important to aim for development in complexity as it is to aim for development in accuracy. Namely, that ‘errors’ in language learning are part of the deal: complex tasks lead to complex language use, including lexical and syntactical errors, but they are a necessary prerequisite for language development.


Author(s):  
Yune Andryani Pinem

This research looks at listening as one factor that gives contribution toward speaking among high school students. The study attempts to reveal through data analysis, in the form of students. score from each variable that both have correlation. Further the objective of the study is also to find out the extent of influence contributed by listening toward speaking. The research applies library study and field study (instrument designing and test performing both for listening and speaking). The theory used for analysis deals with listening and speaking correlation from language learning review. The result of the study demonstrates that the correlation of listening as the independent variable with speaking as dependent variable is positive. It also proves that with a unit of program or treatment given toward listening class, there will be a significant improvement equals with 3.134 times from previous speaking score for the same sample. For the analysis of data, the extent of correlation between two varibales is shown as low. It indicates that even though listening do have positive correlation towarde speaking, it is not the only deminant factor to determine success in speaking.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 66
Author(s):  
Marini Marini ◽  
Khasanah Khasanah

Abstract The  problem  of this research is : How is the language development of children age 12 to 24 months in Semarang ?. The purpose of this study is to describe widely and deeply about language development the children age 12 to 24 in Semarang. The method used in this research is qualitative method. Data collection is done by observation, interviews, and questionnaire. Data analysis techniques using Miles Hubermen’s model. Checking the validity of the data using triangulation data. The results showed that the development of language of children aged 12 to 24 months in Semarang in expressive is: can produce sound almost perfect in several words; Some of the letters of the words missing from the pronunciation; The missing letters are usually consonants; Haven't been able to pronounce the letter s and r; In General, most people are able to understand the speech of the children is an adult who is close to the child; There is a word that can be spelled perfectly by the child. The words are by and large is the words that are simple and close to the children's daily lives. As for the generally receptive: children can follow and obey what is spoken by adults; The children seem to understand when the adults were talking about them; and children  can understand  to the words that they  heard more than that they can speak.   Keywords: Language, children, expressive, receptive, word.    


Author(s):  
Dani Levine ◽  
Daniela Avelar ◽  
Roberta Michnick Golinkoff ◽  
Kathy Hirsh-Pasek ◽  
Derek M. Houston

Copious evidence indicates that, even in the first year of life, children’s language development is beginning and is impacted by a wide array of cognitive and social processes. The extent to which these processes are dependent on early language input is a critical concern for most deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children, who, unlike hearing children, are usually not immersed in a language-rich environment until effective interventions, such as hearing aids or cochlear implants, are implemented. Importantly, some cognitive and social processes are not dependent on the early availability of language input and begin to develop before children are fitted for hearing aids or cochlear implants. Interventions involving parent training may be helpful for enhancing social underpinnings of language and for maximizing DHH children’s language learning once effective hearing devices are in place. Similarly, cognitive training for DHH children may also provide benefit to bolster language development.


Author(s):  
Yue Ma ◽  
Laura Jonsson ◽  
Tianli Feng ◽  
Tyler Weisberg ◽  
Teresa Shao ◽  
...  

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.


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