Child Language Development Stages & Brain Areas
Language Development
Phonological Development
The child passes through different stages until age 6.
Prelinguistic Stage (Birth to First Words, 0-12 Months)
The child makes sounds involuntarily, such as sneezing and burping, and then emits gurgling cries and guttural sounds. From 3-4 months, the child emits sounds like voluntary babbling, developing simple, reduplicated, and finally variegated babbling, which is not quite yet close to the first words.
Language Phase (12 Months – 7 Years)
The babbling
Read MoreUnderstanding Politeness in Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis
Politeness: A Pragmatic Phenomenon because it deals with the speaker’s intention. Lakoff: Be clear (Grice’s maxims of conversation), be polite (don’t impose: less cost by indirect form), give opinions (hedges relax conditions), and make the addressee feel good (appropriate formality). Leech: Theory of effective use of language (interpersonal rhetoric). TACT/GENEROSITY (cost/benefit), APPROBATION/MODESTY (praise/dispraise), agreement (disagreement and agreement), sympathy/antipathy, sympathy.
Read MoreKey Literary Devices and Figures of Speech Defined
Synecdoche
A figure of speech using a specific name, appellation, or nickname for the person or thing itself. E.g., ‘the Apostle’ for St. Paul; ‘a Nero’ for a cruel man.
Allegory
A narrative or description in which characters, places, and events represent abstract qualities or ideas. Example: The blindfold and wings of Cupid are allegorical.
Hyperbole
A figure of speech involving exaggeration for emphasis or effect, increasing or decreasing what is spoken of.
Irony
A rhetorical figure expressing the opposite
Read MoreMastering Textual Properties for Effective Communication
Linguistic Fitness in Communication
Linguistic diversity signifies that language is neither uniform nor homogenous; it possesses variations depending on many factors such as geography, history, social group, etc. (e.g., ‘bus’ vs. ‘coach’). Furthermore, within the same dialect, language offers distinct registers: formal, colloquial, specialized, and so on. For example, consider ‘work’ (colloquial), ‘do’, ‘perform’, or ‘produce’. While potentially synonymous in certain contexts, they carry different
Read MoreMajor Works of Middle English Literature
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Author: Anonymous (same as Pearl, Patience, and Purity) – known as the Gawain Poet or Pearl Poet.
Date: Around 1375–1400.
Place: Northwest England (possibly near Cheshire or Staffordshire).
Manuscript: Cotton Nero A.x.
Location: British Library, London.
Poetic Style
- Alliteration: The poem is known for its use of alliterative verse, where each line typically has alliterative consonant sounds.
- Rhyming: The poem follows a bob and wheel structure, where a short line (bob)
El Cid, Alfonso X, and Early Spanish Language Insights
The Song of El Cid: Summary
First Song
- The Exile of the Cid: Unfairly destined for exile. Imagine a war-torn, sad hero going into exile.
- Pain in Burgos: The pain comes to Burgos; his men and the people he appreciates watch from the balconies with heavy hearts.
- The Cid’s Farewell to His Family: He goes to San Pedro de Cardeña to say goodbye to his wife and daughters.
- The Fame of the Cid: He gains reputation as he travels.
Second Song
- Proposal of the Heirs of Carrión: The noble families (Infantes de Carrión)