4 The big picture of development
The sheer volume of moving parts in the linguistic system becomes almost dizzying and a vast challenge for any linguistic theory to grapple with. Let’s take a step back and look at the big picture. Below is a summary of some of the major developmental milestones you have looked at in this course.
Figure 4 A general sketch of language development. This is not intended as a universal trajectory that all children follow - there are significant individual differences (note the fuzzy lines) that can tell us important things about the drivers of language acquisition. It does capture the typical sequence of development however even if the absolute timings differ from child to child.
Activity 1 Looking back on your learning journey
Timing: Allow about 10 minutes
Looking back on your own journey on the course, answer the questions below in the text box. This will help you reflect on your learning and recognise how far you have come.
- How has your understanding of language acquisition changed?
- Is there anything that you have learned that you can use in your day-to-day life?
- What concepts did you find most challenging to understand?
- Are there topics you think the course should have explored more?
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