Understanding Child Language Acquisition

Understanding Child Language Acquisition is an accessible introduction to the latest cutting-edge theories and facts about how children learn language. Using a cross-linguistic approach, Understanding Child Language Acquisition focuses not only on what children learn by when, but how why and how they learn. Taking you step-by-step through this fascinating topic, the book opens with an introduction to langauge acquisition that will lay the groundwork for you to understand all of the chapters that follow. The author explores questions such as 'What are languages?', followed by discussion of the sounds of languages, how we learn words, the morphology and syntax of language and how we learn to communicate. Multilingualism is the focus of one chapter, giving due importance to this overlooked aspect of language acquisition. The book concludes with a look at individual differences and discussion of the search for language universals. Key features include: -summaries at the ends of chapters to reinforce learning -exercises for you to test your comprehension -further reading suggestions to broaden your understanding of the subject -a glossary terms to help you understand complex linguistic terminology. Supported by a wealth of online resources that are free for students and lecturers to access, Understanding Child Language Acquisition provides you with the most accessible introduction to the subject today.