To install StudyMoose App tap and then “Add to Home Screen”
Save to my list
Remove from my list
Morphology is the study of the structure or organization of words. Morphemes are the smallest unit of meaning that appear in language; they cannot be broken down further (Levey, 2014). The process of examining a child’s developing morphology involves calculating the child’s mean length of utterance (MLU). MLU is the average number of morphemes that appear in the child’s utterances. To calculate MLU, the total number of morphemes in the sample is divided by the number of utterances.
The MLU allows the observer to see in which stage of Brown’s language development the client falls (Levey, 2014).
The Client displayed an MLU of 1.68, with a total of 84 morphemes and 50 utterances. According to Brown, the average range of MLU for a 39-month-old normally developing toddler is 2.7- 4.2. The client’s MLU of 1.68 falls in the first stage of Brown’s development. The milestones of stage one of Brown’s development include using one, two, and three-word utterances, using intonation when asking yes and no questions, and using limited wh- questions (Source the slides).
Verified writer
Proficient in: Language
4.9 (984)
“ Ok, let me say I’m extremely satisfy with the result while it was a last minute thing. I really enjoy the effort put in. ”
The client meets all of the milestones, except using limited wh- questions. The clinician proposes that the client has a speech delay as her MLU is in Brown’s first stage of development which is typically for toddlers 12- 26 months of age.
Semantics is the study of meaning in language that is conveyed through words, sentences, and phrases. Children begin to develop vocabulary at around 12 months. A child’s first words are usually influenced by the environment (Levey 2014).
Carey (1978) (as cited in Levey 2014) states that between the ages of 1.5 and 6, children acquire 5 new words per day. By 24 months toddlers usually use between 200 and 300 words. At this stage, they have acquired the usage of semantic roles which include agent, action, object, location, possession, rejection, disappearance, nonexistence, and denial. Between 12 and 18 months, semantic roles are expressed by typically developing toddlers in one-word utterances. At 18 months toddlers begin to create semantic relations when they combine semantic roles. Semantic development continues when children learn new concepts and learn how to assemble the concepts into sentences to share their ideas. The main concepts that children between the ages of 2 and 5 acquire are spatial concepts, temporal concepts, quantity concepts, quality concepts, and social-emotional concepts (Levey 2014).
The client uses a total of 31 words in the language sample. While communicating with her mother, various topics are brought up such as eating cookies and finishing them, playing with a baby doll, reading a book, requests for apples and cheese, and playing with a hat. There is no evidence of function words such as articles being used in the sample. However, the client uses the preposition, “on” in line 47 of the language sample. Furthermore, the client does not use non-specific words in the sample. As the client’s semantic development grows and begins to learn new concepts she will incorporate them into her sentences.
Pragmatics is the study of language use and its accommodation to different people and situations. Three pragmatic factors are language use, accommodating to different listeners, and following rules in conversations. Children often combine gesturing and verbalization, but toddlers usually produce more gestures than words (Levey 2014). Bruner (1983) (as cited in Bara, Bosco, & Bucciarelli 1999) points out that infants starting at 3 months begin to non,-verbally communicate with their caregivers. He also says that format may be responsible for children becoming more advanced pragmatically. A format is a constant pattern of interaction between a caregiver and a child causing the child to use linguistic tools to communicate more effectively. An example would be when a caregiver plays “peekaboo” with the child. After playing many times the child becomes more proficient in communicative interaction. According to James (1990) (as cited in Levey 2014) at the one-word stage, children use joint attention to communicate and regulate the behavior of others around them. After a child is past the one-word stage, it is common to use a mix of gesturing and verbalization while in contact with others. Toddlers use more gestures than verbalization. According to Dore (1975) (as cited in Levey 2014) toddlers and young children convey meaning in their words through primitive speech acts. Primitive speech acts include labeling, repeating, answering, requesting action, requesting an answer, calling, greeting, protesting, and practicing.
The client responds with relevant comments multiple times throughout the sample. For example, in line 8 the client says, “Mommy eat” while giving a cookie to her mother. Additionally, in line 14, the client responds to the mother’s comment social-emotional“Wait I need to make the cookies. Oh they are hot. Blow on the cookies.” by saying, “more cookie.” This is an appropriate response when realizing that there are no more cookies readily available to eat and one wants more cookies. Furthermore, throughout the language sample often the client initiates communication. For example in lines 36-39 the client changes the topic from talking about the toy dog to reading a book. The client is successful at gaining adults’ attention however, she may show signs of aggression in doing so. In line 37, the client grabs the dog while saying “mine.” the mother responds by saying “ I was just petting him.” The client can carry many turns on a topic, but then immediately adds a new item to the conversation. For example from lines 7-17, the topic is about eating cookies, and by line 17 the child introduces the word “baby” into the conversation.
Syntax means examining the rules used to combine words to form sentences. The most basic sentence has a subject and a verb. The syntactic structure requires a noun phrase and a verb phrase and expands with the addition of articles, adverbs, prepositional phrases, and direct or indirect object nouns. Syntactic production begins when two words are combined, usually at 18 months (Levey 2014).
The client produced 23 single-word utterances, 14 two-word utterances, 12 three-word utterances, and 1 four-word utterance. The client produces a few full sentences when she proclaims a full thought. For example, in line 10 the client says “Mommy gimme a cookie.” She is expressing her want for a cookie and appropriately directing her request toward her mother. In line 11, she says “Cookie all gone.” sharing her observation with her mother that the cookie is finished. This is indicative of her being in Brown’s first stage of development, as one of the milestones in producing one, two, and three-word utterances.
One of the client’s strengths is successful pragmatic development. She initiates conversation and gets adults’ attention appropriately for her age. Another strength is her syntactic development for Brown’s first stage of development. She produces some full sentences, along with one and two-word utterances. The client’s weaknesses include delayed morphological development, as her MLU is low for a typically developing 39-month-old toddler which should be between 2.7- 4.2. Another weakness of the client is the aggression that she displays while playing with her mother.
Who does what under what conditions to what degree?
The client will begin to use grammatical morphemes, using “in” and “on” to move to Brown’s second stage of development. The clinician will teach the client to use specific grammatical morphemes such as “in” and “on” during therapy with play. Positive reinforcement will be implemented. The client will be expected to enter Brown’s second stage of development after four therapy sessions by successfully producing 10/15 utterances with grammatical morphemes during the conversation.
The client will show less aggression during play. During play, the client may only say “gimme” ⅖ times. This will improve her social skills and cause her peers to play more with her, developing her pragmatic skills deeper.
Language Sample Analysis. (2022, Aug 21). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/language-sample-analysis-essay
👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy!
Don’t know where to start? Type your requirements and I’ll connect you to an academic expert within 3 minutes.
get help with your assignment
