Language Acquisition

This book provides a snapshot of the field of language acquisition at the beginning of the 21st Century. It represents the multiplicity of approaches that characterize the field and provides a review of current topics and debates, as well as addressing some of the connections between sub-fields and possible future directions for research.

Preface Series Preface Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors PART I: EXPLAINING LANGUAGE ACQUISITION Word Learning and the Origins of Phonological System; M.Vihman Processing Strategies in First Language Acquisition; A.M.Peters The Inevitability of Child Directed Speech; M.Saxton Universal Grammar Approaches to Language Acquisition; M.T.Guasti Second Language Acquisition; S.Gass PART II: WINDOWS ON LANGUAGE ACQUISITION Language and the Many Faces of Emotion; J.Reilly Complements Enable Representation of the Contents of False Beliefs: The Evolution of a Theory of Theory of Mind; J. & P.De Villiers Going Beyond Semantics: The Development of Pragmatic Enrichment; N.Pouscoulous & I.Noveck The Acquisition of Phrasal Vocabulary; K.Kuiper , G.Columbus & N.Schmitt PART III: LANGUAGE ACQUISITION, CULTURE AND LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY Language Development in Simultaneous Bilingual Children; N.Müller Universals and Cross-Linguistic Variability in Children''s Discourse; M.Hickmann Trends in Research on Narrative Development; R.Berman Family Literacy Activities: What Is, What Ought To Be and The Role of Parents'' Ideas; S.McNaughton , M.Amituanai-Toloa & E.Wolfgramm-Foliaki Index