The Metalinguistic Mind: Typically and Atypically-developing Children

 This book is about metalinguistic awareness (MLA), a broad area whose relevance has been acknowledged by several disciplines. The authors treat the topic from three main perspectives: developmental, methodological, and clinical. They begin by outlining the main historical developmental models and the way metalinguistic development is intertwined with such factors as literacy, bilingualism, executive function, and Theory of Mind. They then proceed to consider a series of methodological issues related to the assessment of MLA based on the possible variation of research objectives, tools, and designs, and finally face the metalinguistic challenges experienced by children and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders.  Throughout the three sections of the book that develop these perspectives, a common thread can be recognized, which justifies the title: “The metalinguistic mind”. By this expression, the authors mean a way of reasoning on form/content relationships that applies transversally to phonological, morphological, syntactical, semantic, and pragmatic aspects of language.

     This process begins at preschool age with active forms of curiosity about forms and meanings of words, using explicit language to comment on language, often revealing an awareness of conflicts between linguistic forms, and showing the need to find consistent solutions to reconcile these linguistic conflicts. This argumentative attitude goes much beyond the application of linguistic rules or the use of metalanguage, and may manifest itself even when unrequested. The authors insist on the conflictual aspect inherent in all metalinguistic tasks. Accordingly, metalinguistic assessment should point to the consistency with which these conflicts are reconciled on explicit grounds. This is where metalinguistic development and methodology can converge, on the condition that both researchers and examiners bring to light those capabilities to argue about structural aspects of language. Lastly, even in the clinical conditions described by the authors, despite evident language difficulties, recent treatments have shown very interesting possibilities to enhance basic linguistic abilities and promote further improvements toward a “meta”- level.

     This complex interplay between metalinguistic development in typical children, assessment methodology, and the potentialities that open up in atypical conditions underscores the concept of “metalinguistic mind”.

Sergio Melogno is an Associate Professor at "Niccolò Cusano" Telematic University in Rome, where he teaches Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience and Psychology of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. He also holds a professorship at the Pontifical Salesian University of Rome, where he lectures on Developmental Neuropsychology, Neuroscience and Learning. His research focuses on neuropsychological profiles, particularly in the linguistic-pragmatic and metalinguistic areas, in both typically and atypically developing children. This research informs his clinical practice at the Developmental Neuropsychology Laboratory at "Niccolò Cusano" University and in other laboratories at "Sapienza" University of Rome. He has extensively published on figurative language production and comprehension in both typical and atypical children, and developed treatments to enhance these abilities by leveraging the strengths of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and other clinical conditions.

  Maria Antonietta Pinto is a past Professor of Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology at the Faculty of Medicine and Psychology - “Sapienza” University of Rome. She has published extensively on cognitive and language development in sociolinguistic complex contexts in Italy, with a special focus on metalinguistic aspects. To this end, she has elaborated a particular theoretical construct of metalinguistic development which underlies the metalinguistic tests she created, which extend from preschool age to adulthood. These tests have been translated into several languages and are widely used in international research on bilingualism and language learning. In 2001, she founded the Rivista di Psicolinguistica Applicata/Journal of Applied Psycholinguistics, of which she is currently Editor-in-Chief.