ABSTRACT
Language acquisition is one of the most fascinating areas of study and has been the subject of much debate between many linguists, psycholinguists and cognitive psychologists. This chapter outlines influential language acquisition theories; the components of language: sound, grammar and meaning; pragmatics; and speaking and listening in the early years. It considers language in its broadest sense, including non-verbal communication and outlines of some of the key language acquisition theories. The chapter considers language change and its impact on meaning and provides an understanding of phonology. It also provides an overview of the broad stages of language acquisition, including articulation of sounds and the development of grammar. The chapter presents a brief overview of speaking and listening in the primary school. It concerns language development rather than reading and writing development, but brief definitions of synthetic and analytic phonics. Semantics is concerned with the study of meaning and is therefore extremely complex.
