6 Why does language development matter?
Imagine you had a complete answer to all the previous questions. Why would it matter?
Activity 4 Why are you interested in language development?
Timing: Allow about 10 minutes
In the box below write down what motivates you to study language development.
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).
Discussion
In addition to your motivations there are several other good reasons for studying language development:
- Child development: Language works in close relationship with other cognitive abilities like memory, reasoning, problem-solving and critical thinking. It supports social and emotional growth, allowing us to express needs, thoughts and emotions, which is crucial for building relationships, navigating social situations and developing empathy and self-esteem. So, understanding language development means a better understanding of many other areas of child development.
- Human nature: What makes language special is part of what makes us special, so in that sense, understanding what language is made of and how we learn it brings us closer to our human nature. Studying language acquisition can also bring insight into many other areas of mind, brain and behaviour, such as the relationship between language and thought, learning and innateness, nature and nurture.
- Clinical application: Understanding the processes driving language learning can help children get back on track when things are not progressing as they should. Speech and language therapists and clinical linguists need a good understanding of language acquisition to identify whether there is a problem, what the problem is and how to address it.
- Teaching and learning: Language is the currency of education. It is fundamental in terms of instruction, dialogue and the medium by which learners express what they know. A better understanding of how language works has the power to improve teaching and learning.
- Curiosity: Sometimes the motivation to find out more is the end in itself, and that is as equally valid reason to explore language development as any other.