Can Language Development and Reading Be Related?

Chapter 4: Language and Vocabulary Development

            The chapter begins by explaining how closely related language development and reading can be when children are in the learning stage. A child can be introduced to language from the moment of birth. Before the child is able to become literate—able to read and write, he or she has to take the first step by developing a language. In order to learn a language, children involve themselves in problem solving by first creating a hypotheses over the information they already know and then applying the hypotheses by interacting with other individuals around them. Would it be more beneficial for the child to interact with individuals that are also in the process of language development or adults who have already established a language? My thoughts are a mixture of both. Since children do not learn language passively, it might help to get adult input to help further their background knowledge. While interacting with other children that are developing language, the child might feel more comfortable constructing and rebuilding his or her language as he or she gains more background knowledge. I agree with the text when it states that children who are always exposed to an environment rich in language and who regularly interact with adults using language in a social context can develop more facility with oral language. I also suggest that children should interact with other children who may be in the same learning stage as them, to teach and build upon one another’s language. Children can learn receptive language (what they understand) and expressive language (what they use) by surrounding themselves with both adults and children of the same age. Since reading and writing involve the use of language, I can assume that the acquisition of oral language, reading, and writing share similar characteristics.  Reading is the interaction between the reader and written language. Developing a language can play a big part in the ability of learning to read. The text defines reading as “the use of one’s language ability to decode and comprehend text.” As educators, we pay attention to recognizable grammar sequences and patterns that generate appropriate phrasing when the child is in the process of reading. 

            The text provides several theories in language acquisition: the behaviorist theory, nativist theory, Piagetian and Vygotskian theories, constructivist theory, and Halliday’s theory of language development. To keep this blog post from exceeding in length, I won’t explain every theory but I will provide the page number to find them on! (PG 100-102) By familiarizing ourselves with those theories, we are able to provide environments for our future students that promote language development and reading.

            Language development in the early years can be heavily influenced by the child’s brain development. The more exposure the child has to language, the better the brain can make connections to experience and application. Children go through a series of stages when developing a language and begin to learn the structural rules of language including phonology, syntax, and semantics. Even though these rules have been set in place, the child learns at his or her own pace. So how do we measure a child’s language development? Formative and summative assessment should be used to identify children’s needs as they develop language. These assessments can either be formal or informal. Formal assessments are those that include standardized testing measures. Informal assessments include but are not limited to audio recording, t-unit analysis, checklists, and anecdotal records. To decide which assessment you should use with a child, remember what we learned from Chapter 3. Keep in mind the diversity of your classroom and the cultural background of each child.