Language Acquisition, second edition: The Growth of Grammar

by Maria Teresa Guasti

The new edition of a comprehensive introduction to a rapidly developing field, combining developmental data with theory. How do children begin to use language? How does knowledge of language emerge in early infancy, and how does it grow? This textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to knowledge acquisition, drawing on empirical evidence and linguistic theory. The theoretical framework used is the generative theory of Universal Grammar; students should have some familiarity with concepts in linguistic research. Aimed at upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, the book offers end-of-chapter summaries, key words, study questions, and exercises. This second edition has been thoroughly updated, with new content throughout. It has been reorganized according to the three main components of language acquisition. The computational components and the interfaces are covered in chapters on structure building in the verbal and nominal domains, movement-derived structure, and the relation between syntax and semantics and semantic and pragmatic. The sensory motor interface is treated in chapters on infants' perception of language and on the acquisition of words. The intentional-conceptual interface is discussed in chapters on the acquisition of words. This edition features additional cross-linguistic content, a new focus on brain imaging findings and the motor aspect of language, new material on Williams and Down Syndromes and dyslexia, and a new chapter on bilingualism, early second language acquisition, and bimodalism. Revisions reflect the burgeoning research in the field. New pedagogical features include chapter outlines, summaries of chapters, hypotheses, and linguistic milestones; methodological information; explanatory boxes; and suggestions for further reading.

Genres: Linguistics

669 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.