ERIC Number: EJ1078706
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Apr
Pages: 28
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0142-7237
EISSN: N/A
"Speaking Volumes": A Longitudinal Study of Lexical and Grammatical Growth between 17 and 42 Months
Labrell, Florence; van Geert, Paul; Declercq, Christelle; Baltazart, Véronique; Caillies, Stéphanie; Olivier, Marie; Le Sourn-Bissaoui, Sandrine
First Language, v34 n2 p97-124 Apr 2014
Dynamic analyses of language growth tell us how vocabulary and grammar develop and how the two might be intertwined. Analyses of growth curves between 17 and 42 months, based on longitudinal data for 34 children, revealed interesting patterns of vocabulary and grammatical developments. They showed that these patterns were nonlinear, but with coinciding peaks of growth, suggesting a bilateral relationship between acquisition of vocabulary and grammar. A more detailed analysis of specific components of vocabulary (nouns, verbs, grammatical words) and grammar showed that each followed its own developmental course, but that its growth rates were likely to be negatively or positively correlated with those of other components. For example, a faster rate for acquiring nouns coincided with a slower rate for verbs. Last, an assessment of intra-individual variability in three children showed that mean scores obscure individual profiles.
Descriptors: Vocabulary Development, Profiles, Infants, Toddlers, Scores, Grammar, Language Acquisition, Nouns, Verbs, Correlation, Longitudinal Studies, Individual Differences, French, Measures (Individuals), Questionnaires, Parent Attitudes, Foreign Countries, Language Skills
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: France
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A