Language Acts: How Children Use Language

In understanding the language development of your child, it is important to note three particular language acts: Expressive, Receptive, and Meta-linguistic.  Here's some information to give you a good knowledge base regarding these acts:


Expressive Acts: These acts refer to how children produce and use their own language.  Children use expressive acts early on by cooing and babbling as a way to use language.  As children get older, they begin to construct longer sentences to tell stories or explain events. Expressive Acts demonstrate a child's ability to understand the meaning of language and apply it to their own language.
Example: A child effectively using expressive language may comment to a playmate, "I went to the doctor yesterday because my belly hurt." or "I like drawing because it makes me happy!"

Receptive Acts: This is how children take in another person's language.  Children using receptive language are typically able to answer who, what, when, why, and how questions and are able to respond to requests for information from others. Receptive Acts indicate an understanding of language.
Example: Adult-"What color is the shirt I have on?"
                 Child-"It is blue!"

Meta-linguistic Acts: Rather than focusing on the meaning of language, as expressive and receptive language does, meta-linguistic acts demonstrate a child's knowledge about the form of language. Children use meta-linguistic acts in various ways such as correcting grammatical and sentence errors, asking for clarification of another's language, and playing rhyming games with language.
Example: "I sawed, I mean saw, the puppy"

It is so important for parents and guardians to work with their children from the moment they are born to encourage expressive, receptive, and meta-linguistic language.  Research has shown that children with difficulty in some or all of these areas are at a higher risk for having issues with literacy as adults.  Research also provides evidence to indicate that children that are frequently read to and have access to many books at home are at a lower risk for issues in these areas. 

How do you work with your child to encourage and assess their use of these acts?  Well I'm glad you asked : )

• Take every opportunity available to have conversations with your child. Car rides, shopping trips, and family dinners are great forums for discussion. Encourage your child to tell you about their day and ask questions.
• After reading a story or watching a movie, ask your child to tell you their thoughts on the story and ask specific questions about their likes and dislikes.
• Create fun games, such as a "rhyming game" with your child.  Pick a word, such as "dog", and take turns with your child naming as many words that rhyme with "dog" as possible.

References

Schoon, I., Parsons, S., Rush, R., & Law, J. (2010). Childhood language skills and adult literacy:A 29-year follow-up study.  Pediatrics, 125 (3), 459-466.