Language is an important element for humans to communicate with each other. Language development is an important aspect of children's cognitive development. It is an important milestone that needs to be achieved, and it is a slow and gradual process that commences early in childhood. Humans use complex and diverse language, one of the best skills that sets us apart from other living creatures. How do we acquire language, however? Do we have a blueprint for it? If so, how can some people master a language that is not native to them? This article discusses one of the most important theories of language development.
The major theories of language development are:
The two main debates on the process of language development are based on the question of whether language is innate or is it learned. Therefore the two major theories of language development are the Nativist view and the behaviorist view of language development.
B.F proposed the learning theory of language development. Skinner.
B.F. Skinner was a behaviorist and is well known for developing the concept of operant conditioning. He was driven by the ideas given by John B. Watson, called behaviorism. He rejected the notions of introspection and psychoanalysis. He was a believer in the idea that any behavior can be shaped or conditioned. He believed that psychology is a science and should be measurable or quantifiable.
Language development begins at a very young age in humans. Certain language milestones help to predict and chart the development of a language. Initially, the child uses a very simple form of language and then moves forward to comprehend and produce complex language. Normally, a child will recall simple words they must have heard and make babbling sounds. They will then grow up to make meaningful phrases as their vocabulary grows.
B.F. Skinner suggested that language development is highly influenced by the environment in which the child grows. The concept of learning and behavior formation are the primary sources behind the development of language in children. He contended that children learn new skills through operant conditioning, classical conditioning, or observation. This view further emphasized the role of the effects of these conditions on a child's learning environment. This would therefore mean that the rewarded responses are repeated, and the ones reprimanded are suppressed or curbed in terms of language development and response formation.
If this view were to be put into perspective, one could think of an infant observing many things around them. They observe the elderly speaking a language and attempt to mimic the same. Furthermore, when an adult acknowledges the attempt with a hug or an exclamation, the child learns to use the word often. This leads to the motivation to learn the language. In addition, infants also often learn the language spoken by the people around them.
Skinner's view can be understood with a simple example: children often pick up the language spoken by their caretakers or the people around them. Further, when caregivers speak to a child in a particular language, the child often uses the language as a primary language to think.
The age when most language development occurs is between 0-5 years. This is an important period for a child to learn languages because the brain is growing rapidly during this time. At this time, a child's brain absorbs much information, specifically language-related content. The child makes many mistakes and uses incorrect grammar. Language is a complex skill, so the child requires guidance to develop it. The child initially speaks "nonsense" words, usually not rewarded or punished by the parents. As soon as the child mimics some meaningful word from their surroundings, the parent or caretaker reacts to it with praise or criticism.
There were many problems with Skinner's theory. Although it was simple and easy to implement, it narrowed down human behavior to something influenced by external stimuli only. He also had many critics. The theory does not provide enough explanation regarding the acquisition of grammar. Grammar is not simple and cannot merely be acquired with the help of rewards or reinforcements.
Additionally, children find it quite challenging to pronounce certain words they hear from their parents. In addition to this, Skinner does not provide an adequate explanation of the need for language attainment. He explains the process but fails to elaborate on the purpose of a language. This process is better explained by another theorist named N. Chomsky. He believed that the ability to acquire a language was innate in humans. Since humans needed better communication to survive, language was developed, and therefore, superior structures that support language development evolved in human brains. In summary, his theory contends that humans have an innate device that aids in language acquisition.
The acquisition of language is a quest for many psychologists. Many have researched how humans attain language and how it develops over their lives. Some have said that the ability to grasp a language is innate and genetically influenced. However, others side with the view that language attainment is a learned process. This is a segment of the nature versus nurture debate. B.F. Skinner favored the nurture side of the debate. He believed that a child's environment plays a huge role in language development and that the ability to acquire a language is influenced by either classical or operant conditioning. The debate is ongoing and inconclusive. However, it does appear that the ability to attain a language influences both nature and nurture. There can be a genetic blueprint for language that sets humans apart from other creatures. Specialized language structures can also justify this argument in the brain. However, the ability to use actual sounds, words, syntax, or grammar is something a child learns from their environment.
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