Chapter 10:Language Characteristics

Critical ConceptsKaren Stewart

Definition of Language

Language involves the use of vocal sounds and written symbols to comprehend, form, and express thoughts and feelings (Raymond, 2012).

Any code employing signs, symbols, or gestures to communicate ideas.

Language is also a social tool used to communicate meanings, feelings, and intentions.

Importance of Language

Content knowledge is presented and elaborated on with language

Integral part of learning and thinking

Success in learning depends on ability to effectively and efficiently process information in spoken and text formats

Becoming part of a social group

Self-expression and personal identity

Impairments in Speech and Language

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA):› Speech Disorder- Inability to produce speech

sounds correctly or fluently Articulation disorders Stuttering

› Language Disorder-when a person has trouble with receptive and expressive language Receptive-understanding others Expressive-sharing thoughts, ideas, and

feelings Can affect fluency and voice(NICHCY, 2011)

Prevalence

Prevalence› Most prevalent IDEA condition› 20% of students served under IDEA (6-21)› Almost half of all preschool children (3-5) with disabilities

A significant number of students with other conditions also receive speech/language support as a related service.› Intellectual and learning disabilities› Emotional disturbance› ASD› Cerebral palsy and others

Language Components

Three components of language› Form is related to the rules of language and is the ‘how’ of

language› Content is the ‘meaning’ of language and ‘what’ we listen

to and read, talk, and write about› Use is the reason, purpose, or ‘why’.

Language competence depends on the integration of these three components.

Problems in language occur when:› Delay in development of language competence› Disruption in one or more of the three components› Failure to integrate the three components functionally

Language Skills

Language is also composed of five groups of skills associated with the components of form, content, and use.

Form› Phonology› Morphology› Syntax

Content› Semantics

Use› Pragmatics

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Phonolo

gy

Study and use of phonemes, the individual sound units

Involves phonemic awareness and phonics

Parts of phonology› A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. There

are 40 in the English language.› Graphemes are the written symbols used to

represent the sounds. There are 26 in the English language.

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Morp

holo

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Synta

x

Study and use of morphemes, the smallest units of a language that have meaning

Morphemes consist of two types of letter combinations› Free morphemes-groups of letters (words) that

can exist by themselves and still convey meaning, for example vocabulary.

› Bound morphemes-must be attached to a free morpheme.

Study of rules to organize morphemes into phrases or sentences.

Allows fuller expression to thoughts or ideas by using past, future, and elaborations.

Inability to use syntax as a contextual clue to meaning can impede progress in learning to read.

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Sem

antics

Pra

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atics

Basis for reading comprehension

Consists of complex language patterns such as phrases, sentences, and paragraphs

Word categories, word relationships, synonyms, antonyms, etc.

Knowledge and ability to use other language skills in social or interactive settings

Appropriateness of communication

Social language skills

Deficits can impact

Common Language Characteristics

Learners with mild disabilities may exhibit the following problems:

› Auditory reception and perception, affecting listening comprehension

› Use of working memory› Verbal expression› Word retrieval in spoken language› Reading comprehension› Social language interactions and conversation› Written expression

References

Speech & Language Impairments. NICHCY Disability Fact Sheet #11. (2011). NICHCY: http://nichcy.org

Raymond, E. (2012). Learners with mild disabilities: A characteristics approach. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Reflection

I currently teach special education in an elementary school setting. Many of my students are SI/LI and receive academic support with me. While reading the chapter, I was able to get a much more in depth understanding of speech and language impairments. It was interesting to see how much of an impact a deficit in just one of the language skills can affect academic and social skills.

Last year, I was able to collaborate with one of our speech/language pathologists to use similar books with one of our 3rd grade groups. Out of my group of six students, three were also in her group. She used The Chocolate Touch and my book was The Golden Touch. The students all had difficulty with their receptive and expressive language, so we would work together to have the students be able to communicate the commonalities and differences between books, as well as retell parts of the story and make predictions based on what they knew form the other book. This was in written and oral form. I think if we do it again this year, I will have a little better understanding of some strategies I can use to integrate language skills into our lessons more effectively.