Chapter 10

1. Chapter 10 Language Characteristics

2. What is language? Why is it so important to everyday functioning?

3. Language. any code employing signs, symbols, or gestures to communicate ideas meaningfully between human beings

4. Speech vs. Language Disorder

5. Describe the three components and the five skills of language.

6. 3 components of language • Form. The rules by which a system of language is governed. The how. • Content. The meaning. The what. • Use. Reason. The why.

7. Form • Phonology. The study and use of individual sound units in a language and the rules by which these sounds are combined and recombined to make meaning • Morphology. the study and use of morphemes, the smallest units of a language that have meaning, making up a learner’s vocabulary • Syntax. the study of the rules by which a particular language organizes morphemes into phrases or sentences

9. Spotlight: Phonology Jonathan began receiving speech/language services in kindergarten. Today at age 1 3, his speech is still marked by misarticulations. He has particular difficulty with the letters r and l, so a phrase such as “ Let me run” comes out like “ Wet me wun.” This makes him an easy target for classroom teasing, and he is often picked on by other students since his speech sounds rather babyish. This juvenile speech is particularly incongruent coming from a boy of his physical size.

10. Spotlight: Morphology Susan is a fourth grader with mild intellectual disability. Her teacher has observed that Susan uses a very limited vocabulary. She is not exposed to a great deal of language at home, and this lack of vocabulary role models has apparently compounded her problems in school. Susan’s vocabulary is functional enough to allow her to express her basic needs, but she seems to have too few words to allow her to explain fully and accurately how she is feeling or what problems she is facing. Most of the time she handles this deficit by keeping quiet.

11. Spotlight: Syntax • Allen is 10 years old and is being served in a resource program for students with learning disabilities. His oral language is often characterized by problems with standard English grammar. His oral syntactical errors are indicative of the immature grammar of younger children (e. g. , “ H e don’t have brown hair” or “ He runned down the street” ). He also frequently makes errors with pronoun usage (e.g., “ Me and Willie want to play football” ). After talking with Allen’s father, his teacher reports that she believes Allen’s spoken grammar is a reflection of the language used in his home.

12. Content Semantics. the larger meaning component of language and forms the basis for reading comprehension, another critical reading skill

13. Use • Pragmatics. the knowledge and ability to use other language skills functionally in social or interactive situations.

14. Spotlight: Pragmatics Yvonne, a seventh grader with a behavioral disorder, is inconsistent in her ability to communicate with others, a factor that affects her social standing in class. In addition to problems with grammar and semantics, she often interrupts her peers and behaves in inappropriate ways when her ideas are not accepted. She asks questions at inappropriate times and in inappropriate places. During science class last week, she raised her hand and asked what they were having for lunch. She rarely makes eye contact when she engages in a conversation. She glances briefly at the person she is talking to, then looks around the room while continuing to speak

15. Channels of language • Comprehension. Reading & listening. • Production. Speaking and writing.