Language Acquisition (MIT Press): The Growth of Grammar

by Maria Teresa Guasti

This text provides a comprehensive introduction to current thinking on language acquisition. Following an introductory chapter that discusses the foundations of linguistic inquiry, the book covers the acquisition of specific aspects of language from birth to about age 6. Topics include the language abilities of newborns, the acquisition of phonological properties of language, the lexicon, syntax, pronoun and sentence interpretation, control structures, specific language impairments, and the relationship between language and other cognitive functions. At the conclusion of each chapter are a summary of the material covered, a list of keywords, study questions, and exercises. The book, which adopts the perspective of Chomskyan Universal Generative Grammar throughout, assumes a familiarity with basic concepts of linguistic theory.

Genres: Linguistics

496 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2002

Reviews

[€l!na]

I love textbooks that don't make your head explode with information and that are straightforward enough to not make you want to cut your wrists with your pen!

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This textbook was flat out SPECTACULAR. Actually, I'll go out on a limb and say that this is my favourite textbook. Ever.

Guasti did such a sublime job addressing the many topics and areas of study related to how infants acquire their native languages. Most importantly, she writes clearly, and is capable of breaking down complex ideas into chapters that are easily digestible and enjoyable to read!

Also, so much work went into the production of this book - hundreds of studies have been compiled and summarized here. Then, the author goes a step further by speculating about how the findings of said studies contribute to the field of Language Acquisition.

Absolutely incredible, I highly reccomend!

[Hatawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a very good book for an introduction to the subject. What I liked about it was the clarity in which it explians linguistic terms. Furthermore, after having clarified the possible linguistic problems, it states very relavant examples and language studies. In short, it is the perfect book for introduction to language acquisition as you do not have to consult any other handbooks and at the same time you learn about all the important topics you wish to know about.