Running head: LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 1

Language Acquisition

Lilian Vargas

Los Angeles Pacific University

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Language Acquisition

Children learn language from being spoken to and hearing conversations around them.

Nordquist (2019) explain that acquiring a language is almost effortless for children, as they

acquire language without explicit teaching, by hearing language around them, in a limited

amount of time, and in the same way across varying languages. Regardless of the language,

children are able to reach linguistic milestones the same way. Children start with babbling, then

repetitive syllables, then first words, and then short sentences around 2 years old. Since most

children are on the same linguistic timeline, it is important to reflect upon how we remember

language acquisition and how we can help the children in our lives with language acquisition. By

reflecting upon our earliest memories of spoken and written language, we can decide if our

exposure was helpful or hindering, and what we can do to improve language exposure for our

future children in our lives or within the classroom.

As a child, I was raised by my grandparents, most specifically my grandfather. He was

retired and would watch me while my mother worked to provide for me. My grandfather would

read me the newspaper daily since I was only a few months old, and this continued until I was a

toddler. I also had many books as a toddler, and my grandmother would either read me a bedtime

story or make up a story with new and exciting characters. My family also didn’t use “baby talk”

with me and talked to me as if they were having a conversation with another adult. I believe that

this led to me picking up on language very quickly as a child, and my family recalls that I was

talking in full sentences by the time I was one and a half. I can also recall being a toddler and

having full conversations with my grandfather while I was sitting in the backseat. I always asked

a lot of questions, and my grandfather would always respond the best way he knew how. I did

watch some television as a child, but it was mostly educational shows such as the PBS Network,
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discovery channel, or the news stations that my grandfather was watching. I also loved to read

my grandfather’s dictionary as a young child and would try to find the biggest words in the

dictionary and find their definition, just so I could ‘impress’ my friends and family with new

words.

Being exposed to language, especially that of an older generation, as a young child, made

me speak a bit differently than my younger friends. However, I enjoyed when adults would say

to me or my family that I spoke mature for my age, or that my vocabulary was impressive for a

young child. This motivated me to read more, and by the time I was in 1st grade I was reading at

a 4th grade level and reading chapter books with hundreds of pages. I admit that some of the

content was difficult for me to understand, but I always asked my grandpa for help with words or

phrases that I didn’t understand. My grandfather encouraged my reading by buying me books

often and taking me to the library on the weekends so that I could have a variety of books to

choose from. When I think back on my childhood, I am filled with joy that I had a positive

experience with language and books, and that my grandfather never seemed to be “annoyed”

with my questions or with helping me learn new things. As a parent myself, sometimes I do feel

overwhelmed with trying to make sure my child has enough exposure to language and that I’m

implementing new words into his vocabulary. However, as a child, I always felt as though my

grandfather had a lot of patience for teaching me and helping me grow through language.

When I look back on my childhood, I am pleased to know that my grandfather always did

his best and tried to expose me to new words and language via books, television, and general

conversation. It started when I was a young baby of only a few months old and continued on

until I was a teenager. When I reflect on my current feelings and experiences with language and

literacy, I believe that my grandfather did a wonderful job because he exposed me to language at
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such a young age. By constantly talking to me, and talking to me with proper syntax and

grammar, I believe that he allowed me to flourish in language at a young age. Because I want to

be a teacher to young children (kindergarten – 3rd grade), I will always have my grandpa’s

teachings in the back of my mind. For example, when I got stuck on a word or didn’t understand

a phrase, my grandpa would always make me try to figure it out first on my own. He would get

the dictionary or thesaurus and have me do my own research before simply giving me a

definition or an answer. By having me use problem solving skills, he was helping me with

decoding and trying to figure out words and meanings on my own, which is a skill I used with

almost every situation in life. Instead of saying “I don’t know” and giving up, I would always try

to figure out a solution before asking for help. I believe this is a great skill for children to have,

to try to figure out and use their thinking skills to decode words and meanings on their own.

When children figure out a meaning or can understand a word on their own, it’s a sense of pride

that makes them feel powerful and accomplished. I hope to be able to instill that sense of pride

within my students by giving them the skills necessary to navigate the world of language on their

own with tools that I was taught as a child.

Early language acquisition is important for young minds to grow and flourish. Zimlich

(2017) explains that science demonstrates that the “primary architects” of young children’s

minds are their parent’s and caregivers, as they are the ones who talk and interact with the

children daily. Parents and caregivers have the capacity to use the words they speak and their

interactions with the child to build the child’s brain. The quality and quantity of interaction

within the first 3 years of life are critical to a child’s language development and school readiness

(Zimlich, 2017). Robertson and Ford (2019) explain that learning language requires time, effort,

and patience. The effort and patience depend on the person learning and the environment, as wel
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as the situation. When teaching a language, some tips would be to emphasize listening

comprehension through reading aloud and playing music. Using visuals can also be helpful to

put a picture to a word, which can help visual learners remember and comprehend words.

Speaking slowly and using shorter words, but still in correct English, can help to reinforce

comprehension. Gesturing and pointing can also help to put an action to a word or phrase, while

excessive error correction can be a hindrance and make the child feel as though they aren’t doing

a good job. By simply reinforcing correct language usage, the child will eventually pick up on

the patterns and interpretation (Robertson & Ford, 2019). By reading these theories on language

acquisition, it helps me understand my own experiences with language because I know that my

grandfather, unknowingly, used a lot of these tips to help me develop my language knowledge.

For example, by simply speaking to me in proper English and using correct grammar, I was able

to pick up the language easily and correctly. I don’t recall being corrected or reprimanded for

speaking ‘incorrectly’, which is nice because as a child, we are simply learning the language

around us.

Children pick up on the language that is spoken around them and that they are exposed

to. Parents and caregivers are a child’s first exposure to language, and it is important that parents

and caregivers remember this when speaking around children. By reading to a child, talking to

them in proper grammar and syntax, and simply interacting with children, parents and caregivers

are exposing their children to language and allowing their minds to grow and flourish. As a

future educator, it is important for me to remember these theories because I always want to make

sure my students are given the necessary tools and preparation for learning and growing their

language knowledge.
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References

Nordquist, R. (2019, July 25). Language acquisition in children. Thought Co. Retrieved from

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-language-acquisition-1691213

Robertson, K., Ford, K. (2019). Language acquisition: An overview. Colorin Colorado.

Retrieved from https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview

Zimlich, R. (2017, September 18). Talk the talk: Early language exposure impacts brain

development. Contemporary Pediatrics. Retrieved from

https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/modern-medicine-feature-articles/talk-talk-

early-language-exposure-impacts-brain-development
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