Tag: verbal

Categories
1.3 Communication: Expressive Language

Expressive Language

Communication Development: Expressive Language1

Expressive language is what we use in order to get our message across to someone. This can be done verbally (e.g. by saying something) or non-verbally (e.g. by waving bye-bye to someone). Children develop their expressive language gradually and sequentially. In order to become experts in the expressive language domain, children will have to develop and master the following non-verbal, verbal and written language skills:

Nonverbal expressive language includes:

  • crying
  • smiling
  • laughing
  • frowning
  • waving bye-bye
  • pointing
  • throwing something (like a toy on the floor, in protest)

Verbal expressive language includes:

  • cooing (i.e. saying vowel sounds, over and over again: e.g., aaaaaaaaaaaa, uuuuuuuuuuuuu, eeeeeeeeee…)
  • producing guttural sounds when happy and content
  • babbling (i.e. saying consonant/vowel sound combinations, over and over again: e. g. bababa, dadada, badaga…)
  • imitating sounds and facial expressions
  • saying “mama” and “dada”, when referring to primary caregivers
  • repeating what others are saying
  • saying one word phrases (or “holophrases”): for example, “up” could mean “pick me up, please” or “see birdie up there”
  • labeling objects, animals, or people (e.g., “car,” “ouwee,” “cat,” “baby”, while pointing at these
  • saying please and thank-you
  • asking questions
  • answering questions
  • putting two words together (e.g. Mommy go, Daddy shoe)
  • using negatives (e.g. “no”)
  • using qualitative concepts (e.g. big/small, short/tall…)
  • using quantitative concepts (e.g. a lot, a little, all, none…)
  • using the present progressive (e.g. he is walking)
  • using pronouns (e.g. I, you)
  • using possessives (e.g. my, mine)
  • using prepositions (e.g. in, on, under, over)
  • using the regular and irregular past tense (e.g. walked, gave)
  • using the future tense (e.g. will walk, is going to walk)
  • putting three and four words together (e.g. I want milk, daddy go here)
  • putting more than four words together in a full sentence (i.e., I can read this book)
1. see References
Categories
1.3 What is Development: Communication

Communication Development: A Brief Overview

Language/ Communication1

Language and communication refer to the ways children get their message across to others and understand what others are saying to them. Communication takes place  either verbally, by using words, or non-verbally, through the use of gestures. Verbal communication includes oral and written language, such as reading and writing. Non-verbal communication includes waving bye-bye and smiling.

Language is one way of communicating with others. It can be oral, written or signed (for example, American Sign Language).

Young children usually learn to communicate with others long before they learn how to talk. When young infants cry, they are trying to tell their caregiver that something is wrong. At this early stage, the only way they know how to express this is through crying. Babies who smile at their caregiver are telling the caregiver that they are glad to see them!

Children will continue to use non-verbal language, long after they have learned how to talk. Adults do the same thing. A two year-old who is speaking in two and three word phrases will still stomp his/her foot on the floor, when protesting something, even though he/she can talk. Children and adults alike use verbal and non-verbal language to communicate with others and get their points across all the time.

Language usually has four components: Expressive language, receptive language, pragmatics and articulation (see full Glossary).

1. see References

Spam prevention powered by Akismet