Describe and comment on the language used in the interactions between the children and their parents.
Both of the children, aged 2 and 5, ought to be at the telegraphic and post-telegraphic stage, using more elaborate syntax and learning 20-30 words a day. Both children have displayed the ability to do this, having a good understanding of syntax and creating more complex sentences. However, one thing that may influence their speech is the setting, Molly seems to be rather distracted by the television and therefore gives quick, short answers which do not reflect this, even though she is capable. Also, the fact that James is among other children may influence his language as he is attempting to get his Mother’s undivided attention throughout the transcript and therefore may attempt to use correct grammar etc. in order to aid this. The mother is obviously an active one also, as she reads with her children and has regular contact with them also which may influence their language.
In the declarative that James uses in order to get his mother’s attention, ‘I’m a beelbarrow mummy…’, he replacing the ‘w’ consonant of standard English with a plosive, ‘b’. This is simply due to him not yet acquiring this phoneme yet, not due to lack of understanding. This is shown by his caregiver placing emphasis on the ‘wh’, taking the behaviourist approach in order to help him to acquire language, correcting certain words in a hope he will imitate her language, and James still being unable to produce that phoneme although he confirms that that is what he had said which seems to echo the ‘fis phenomenon’. The behaviourist theory is supported as the third time he states the word may be a recognition that that is not how he says the word and therefore tries to imitate how his mother states it and therefore understands that he has said it wrong, perhaps. However, it may also be him mistaking her attempt for him to imitate the phoneme, due to the placement of the stress, for her...