CONCEPT OF LANGUAGE

We will start with some short remarks about the first question of what concept of language that are

being used in discussions of understanding and language acquisition. The most common view about

language in general is an idea that we will here call a linguistic or grammatical view. It is a view that

is based upon language as a lexicon and a grammar. Language is then a set of words and grammar

regulates how these words can be meaningfully combined and altered. This is the view that is used in

ordinary school grammar that most people are familiar with since their youth. It is as well used in

ordinary descriptions of language when we say that two different languages come from two different

countries, for example English and German as two different languages from two different countries.

This view of language is also usual in philosophy of language and in several theories in linguistics

such as Chomskys generative grammar. Language is here supposed to consist of words, and rules for

the use of these words. Some words are classified as nouns others as verbs, etc. There are then rules

for these words about how they are allowed to be combined into meaningful sentences etc. The

grammar has then the function of being the rules that regulates the use of words and gives language a

structure. Language is thus a system of expressions. As a system of expressions we can say that

language is regarded as a calculus, i.e. it is regulated by rules. This view of language as a calculus

goes for both the technical view on language in formal semantics and the more common view in

ordinary school grammar. In formal semantics it is obvious that language is regarded as a calculus

since mathematical models explicitly is projected on to language and gives it its structure. But in

several theories of linguistics and in school grammar we could also say that language is treated as a
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calculus since rules gives language a structure that it wouldnt have without the rules. The idea of

language as a system of expressions is common to most mentalist theories of language. In Chomskys

theories language is supposed to be build up by simple units such as verb phrases and noun phrases

etc. There are moreover transformation rules that regulate how these units are allowed to be

combined. We have then a grammar in the mind that isa system that specifies the phonetic, syntactic

and semantic properties of an infinite class of potential sentences (Chomsky, 1980, p. 35). Language

is thus regulated by rules to form a structure. We can say the same about language and rules in for

example Piglets theories. Even though Chomsky believes language to be innate and Piaget thinks

that language is developed in the child, Piaget also regards language to be a system of expressions.

He says for example that in the child by the age of about 11-12 ahypothetical-deductive

propositional logic is formed (Piaget, 1980, p. 25). And a propositional logic is a formal language.

We can find another example of language as a system of expressions in Philip N. Johnson-Lairds

ideas about mental models. Johnson-Laird uses formal semantics and natural deduction to explicitly

form models of language as a computational calculus that is active in the mind (Johnson-Laird,

1983). Johnson-Laird is not alone in using formal semantics in analyzing language. J Fodor does for

example also rely heavily upon the formal approach of language in his ideas as does several others.

We can in addition see that even M. A. K. Halliday who has a sociolinguistic approach regards

language as a system of expressions (Halliday, 1975).

We do not however think that the linguistic view of language is helpful in our study. Our research

project is going to investigate how language is used in various ways and in different contexts in

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concrete situations. This includes investigations of shifts of meaning in language use. Since the

linguistic view is based on a view of language that it is determined of rules and, among other things,

upon a static view of language it will not be able to capture the dynamic side of it. We will instead

commit ourselves to the phenomenological idea of goings dam sachem sells, to the things

themselves. And we will therefore use some ideas of Ludwig Wittgensteins later philosophy of

language in our examination, since he is studying actual use of language and not rules or a grammar

that regulate expressions.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Language development involves many issues including cognition, play skills, social interaction and

oral-motor development. As children awaken to the world at birth, they start a long cycle of language

development which involves the understanding (receptive) and production (expressive) of language.

MOTOR DEVELOPMENT:

Speech-Language Pathologists often use Piagets Sensor motor Stages to track development of the

cognitive skills needed for learning language:

1. Object Permanence: This skill involves that a child knows an object exists even when it is out of

the childs view. It also relates to the actions a child can place on objects, and spatial relations.

Examples: searching for a ball under a sofa, playing hide-and-go seek, waiting for Dad to come home

from work, knowing that objects can fall, following the movement of toys, pushing, pulling and

moving toys in varied ways.

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 2. Causality: This skill involves the childs awareness that they are one of many objects in the

environment, and that their actions cause effects on other objects.

EXAMPLE: pressing a button will turn a light on, shaking a toy will result in a sound.

3. Means-End: This skill involves the child understanding that a certain word, action or behavior

will result in a desired outcome. Examples: saying cookie to receive a cookie.

4. Imitation: This skill involves the child imitating gestures, actions, sounds, facial expressions and

movements.

5. Play Skills: Play behaviors are a very important part of language development. Pretend Play or

Symbolic Play is especially important as the child uses one object to represent another. Examples:

using a spoon as a phone receiver and pretending to talk on the phone, pretending to sweep the

floor, playing house,

LANGUAGE STAGES

Home Language Stage (corresponds to DPI ELP Level 1):

Child continues to speak in home language even if individuals cannot understand that language

Child is in process of figuring out that a different language is being spoken

Time period in this stage varies

Non-Verbal Stage (corresponds to DPI ELP Level 1):

Child abandons attempts to speak to people who do not understand

Compared to silent stage of older children

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 Not completely silent in that child often engages in non-verbal alternate forms of

communication (gestures, facial expressions, etc.)

Telegraphic and Formulaic Stage (corresponds to DPI ELP Level 2):

Child makes decision to learn new language

Child goes public with their English
Telegraphicnames for people or things act as complete utterance (e.g., juice to signify I

want juice)
Formulaicobserved phrases to help children communicate (e.g., Oh man, Excuse me,

Uh-oh, Okay, okay)

REFERENCES
Bedore, L. M. & Pena, E. D. (2008). Assessmendren for identification of language impairment: Current

findings and implications for practice. The International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 11 (1),

1-27.

Tabors, P. (2008). One Child, Two Languages (2nd Ed.). Baltimore, MD: Paul Brookes Publishing.

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Wisconsin Department of Public Education (2003-04). English Language Proficiency Collection and

Reporting. http://dpi.wi.gov/lbstat/dataelp.html

diSessa, Andrea A & Sherin, Bruce L. (1998). What Changes in Conceptual Change? International Journal of

Scientific Education, Vol. 20(10), 1155-1191.

Bloor, D. (1997). Wittgenstein, Rules and institutions. London: Rutledge.

Burke, K. (1969). Rhetoric of Motives. Berkley: University of California Press.

Carnap. Rudolf. (1928). Die logische Aufbau der Welt. Berlin.