The Acquisition of Language

Development of language in the normal child; theoretical and empirical issues. The course involves the study of the processes and variations of speech, language, communication and preliteracy skills in typically developing mono- and bilingual children. Objectives include an exploration of the impact of cultural, ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, and individual variations on the child's acquisition of language; an understanding of the processes involved in language learning, language use, and the foundations of literacy from prelinguistic stages to complex language development.