Oral Language Development
Children develop oral language at a very early age. Almost every sound a human being makes can be considered communication. As children grow up, they are constantly observing and practicing communication and oral language. What they know about oral language has an effect on the development of their literacy skills. "Students who had difficulty with early speech communication skills were believed to be at risk for reading
and consequently writing" (Montgomery, 1998). Therefore, the development of oral language has an effect on the ways in which emergent readers develop literacy.
Transcribed dialog taken from a personal interview with a 3-year-old girl named Gianna will be referred to in this paper. Gianna's dialog will provide examples and will be the foundation for the discussion and analysis of language development and its effects on emergent readers. "A language requires the use of signs or symbols within grammar-that is, within a structure of rules that determines how the various signs and symbols are to be arranged. Language also allows the use of signs or symbols within a grammar to create novel instructions" (Dworetzky, 1996, p. 226-227).
Today, more than ever, oral language is being carefully studied and assessed. "It has been only recently that spoken language has been recognized as a condition of learning in all subjects, and thus the assessment of performance in it a necessity" (Keenan et. al., 1997). This is one reason why we must assess oral language. According to Salvia and Ysseldyke (1998), there are two main reasons for this type of assessment. "First, well-developed language abilities are desirable in and of themselves" (p. 539). This means that an individual should have the ability to carry on a conversation, as well as, express thoughts, emotions, and feelings. "Second, various language processes and skills are believed to underlie subsequent development. For example, research indicates that difficulties in oral language are
Transcribed dialog taken from a personal interview with a 3-year-old girl named Gianna will be referred to in this paper. Gianna's dialog will provide examples and will be the foundation for the discussion and analysis of language development and its effects on emergent readers. "A language requires the use of signs or symbols within grammar-that is, within a structure of rules that determines how the various signs and symbols are to be arranged. Language also allows the use of signs or symbols within a grammar to create novel instructions" (Dworetzky, 1996, p. 226-227).
Today, more than ever, oral language is being carefully studied and assessed. "It has been only recently that spoken language has been recognized as a condition of learning in all subjects, and thus the assessment of performance in it a necessity" (Keenan et. al., 1997). This is one reason why we must assess oral language. According to Salvia and Ysseldyke (1998), there are two main reasons for this type of assessment. "First, well-developed language abilities are desirable in and of themselves" (p. 539). This means that an individual should have the ability to carry on a conversation, as well as, express thoughts, emotions, and feelings. "Second, various language processes and skills are believed to underlie subsequent development. For example, research indicates that difficulties in oral language are