Pathways to Language – from Fetus to Adolescent (The Developing Child) - Hardcover

Karmiloff, K

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0674004760 ISBN 13: 9780674004764

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2001

Synopsis

A mother-daughter collaboration, this text balances the respected views of a scholar with the fresh perspective of a younger colleague prepared to challenge current popular positions in these debates. The result is a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of language acquisition, from fetal speech processing to the development of child grammar to the sophisticated linguistic accomplishments of adolescence, such as engaging in conversation and telling a story. With examples from the real world as well as from the psychology laboratory, Kyra Karmiloff and Annette Karmiloff-Smith look in detail at the way language users appropriate words and grammar. They present in-depth evaluations of different theories of language acquisition. They show how adolescent usage has changed the meaning of certain phrases, and how modern living has led to alterations in the lexicon. They also consider the phenomenon of atypical language development, as well as theoretical issues of nativism and empiricism and the specificity of human language. Their nuanced and open-minded approach allows readers to survey the complexity and breadth of the fascinating pathways to language acquisition.

About this title

About the Author

Annette Karmiloff-Smith is Professor and Head of the Neurocognitive Development Unit, Institute of Child Health, London.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674004760
• ISBN 13: 9780674004764
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 268