How do children develop speech comprehension. The relationship of speech, thought and comprehension.
The recognized cases of speech comprehension development with examples and explanation.
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The development of speech comprehension
1. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPEECH
COMPREHENSION
Abdulaziz Assanosi
6/1/2016 1
Prince Sattam ibn Abdulaziz University Saudi Arabia
2. REVIEW
• Children pass through many stages to develop
comprehensible speech? What are they?
• When do children normally utter their first (recognizable
proper word)?
• Describe the development of deaf children language.
• What is the approximate age for children to speak a
comprehensible sentences (include lexical and functional
words) 6/1/2016Abdulaziz Assanosi azizsanosi@gmail.com 2
3. GROUP WORK (BRAIN STORMING)
1. When do children start to understand speech?
2. What come first speech comprehension or production?
3. If a Saudi child born in japan for Saudi parents, what is the first word s/he
will utter? AR, or JPN?
4. What would his first language be?
5. If we keep saying (cat-room) for an Arabian child for Arabian family in
Arabian country , will he learn the meaning, and understand it?
6. 7 minutes to think, discuss and provide your answers
6/1/2016Abdulaziz Assanosi azizsanosi@gmail.com 3
4. DEVELOPMENT OF SPEECH COMPREHENSION
• In your opinion, what comes first (speech
production/comprehension?
• When do a child start to comprehend speech?
• Can children understand speech that they cannot utter?
• Is there a relationship between a language and its speed of
comprehension
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5. BEFORE BIRTH
• Researchers found that fetuses can receive sounds.
• They can distinguish their mothers’ sounds over the
heartbeat and blood flow sounds.
• Their heartbeats became faster when they hear their
mother voice.
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6. BEFORE BIRTH
• If this is true, it can explain why infants prefer their
mothers’ voice from very early age.
• This theory is under dispute,
• If fetuses can hear sounds, do their ears send these
sounds to the brain? Can brain process them?
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7. BEFORE BIRTH
• Another theory is that infants get used to their mothers’ voice
in the 12 hours after birth.
• Mothers’ speech with her children gives children the first
human sounds that he will prefer later.
• If this so, fetuses hearing theory will be under more dispute.
• Even if fetuses hear, these sounds will be different from the
sounds they hear after birth.
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8. CASES OF SPEECH COMPREHENSION DEVELOPMENT
• Speech comprehension happens without speech
production.
• Speech comprehension develops before speech
production.
• Speech production lags behind speech comprehension.
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9. SPEECH COMPREHENSION HAPPEN WITHOUT SPEECH
PRODUCTION.
• The ability to utter speech is a good indicator to language
knowledge.
• The absence of utterance IS NOT indicator of to lack of
language knowledge.
• Mute children can comprehend language but they cannot
utter it.
• Some people may not be able to utter a word. But
understand language very well.
• Examples ……… 6/1/2016Abdulaziz Assanosi azizsanosi@gmail.com 9
10. SPEECH COMPREHENSION HAPPEN
WITHOUT SPEECH PRODUCTION.
• Christopher Nolan: (Australian)
• Born with brain damage. Cannot control his muscles.
Cannot utter understandable speech. Cannot sit up by
himself. But hear and understand well.
• Became a writer by using sticks to point to letters. Of his
books (Dam-burst of dreams).
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11. SPEECH COMPREHENSION HAPPEN
WITHOUT SPEECH PRODUCTION.
• Ann McDonald (American)
• Had brain damage. Cannot speak or control hear muscles.
Trained to use print devices and wrote books about
philosophy of fine arts.
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12. SPEECH COMPREHENSION HAPPEN
WITHOUT SPEECH PRODUCTION.
• Mute people can comprehend speech without producing
it.
• This is not the normal relation between speech
comprehension and production.
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13. SPEECH COMPREHENSION DEVELOPS BEFORE SPEECH
PRODUCTION
• This is the normal pattern most children follow.
• First children understand speech they try to produce it.
• If children do not understand language, s/he cannot
produce it.
• This does not mean ALL the language, progress go step by
step.
6/1/2016Abdulaziz Assanosi azizsanosi@gmail.com 13
14. SPEECH COMPREHENSION DEVELOPS BEFORE SPEECH
PRODUCTION
• Comprehension and production go in parallel.
• Children try to apply what they comprehend directly after
they acquire it.
•…comprehension
•…Production
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15. SPEECH COMPREHENSION DEVELOPS BEFORE SPEECH
PRODUCTION
• Babies can recognize speech starting from 6 month of age.
• However, no evidences of UNDERSTANDING.
• After 8-9 month children start to connect speech to objects.
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16. • Normally children COMPREHEND more than what they
PRODUCE.
• They can understand complex utterances but produce simple
ones.
• They respond to complex requests, order, information, but
they cannot produce similar ones
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SPEECH PRODUCTION LAGS BEHIND SPEECH
COMPREHENSION.
17. SPEECH PRODUCTION LAGS BEHIND SPEECH
COMPREHENSION.
• Not normal: some children speak after a long time of their
comprehension.
• Usually those children DELAY at the HOLOPHRASTIC (one-word)
stage.
• If the child stop development until the age of two year, it is
better for his/her parents to take him to speech pathology
doctor. 6/1/2016Abdulaziz Assanosi azizsanosi@gmail.com 17
18. CHECKPOINT
• The theory about fetuses hearing is under dispute, why?
• What are 3 cases of speech comprehension development?
• The absence of utterance IS NOT indicator of to lack of language
knowledge, prove.
• When do children try to apply what they comprehend?
• When do normal children connect speech to objects?
• In what stage do children with speech problem stop development?
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19. CHECKPOINT
• T or F
• Speech comprehension can happen without speech production.
• The absence of production doesn’t mean absence of language
knowledge.
• Children normally speak, then they start to comprehend.
• The optimal age for speech production is two years after
holophrastic stage.
• Children produce more than what they comprehend.
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20. PAUCITY OF COMPREHENSION STUDIES
• Speech production studies and research are much more
than speech comprehension.
• We know more about speech production than speech
comprehension.
• Why:
• Speech production follow-up is easier.
• Speech production is directly observed.
• To study comprehension, more subjects need to be studied.6/1/2016Abdulaziz Assanosi azizsanosi@gmail.com 20
21. Speech Production <> Speech Comprehension <> thought
• There is a relationship between speech
comprehension/production and thought.
• Child first comprehend then speak.
• Comprehension = listening + thought.
• Without thought there is no production
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22. Speech Production <> Speech Comprehension <> thought
production
hearing
comprehension
thought
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23. Speech Production <> Speech Comprehension <> thought
• Sometimes children may utter words without
understanding, (echoed sounds).
• Children are born without language knowledge,
• It is necessary they be exposed to language to learn it.
• The speech directed to children should be related to
children environment, need etc.
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24. Speech Production <> Speech Comprehension <> thought
• There should be meaning + context for children speech
to be considered language, parrots can imitate.
• Thought is important for language, without it, speech is
just MEANINGLESS SOUNDS.
• Thought come from surrounding culture, environment.
• If you repeat the word (milk) for Arabian child it means
nothing (the converse is true).
• Words like (here, go, come, now) are just sounds if you
don’t know the context.
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25. TERMINUS
• Why do we know more about speech production than about
speech comprehension?
• Describe the relationship between production, thought and
speech comprehension?
• How should the speech directed to child be so as to make them
develop language?
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26. THANK YOU
• This presentation is for classroom usage, it contained gaps to be
filled by classroom discussion for more detailed information
consult the reference book:
• An introduction to Psycholinguistics, second edition (2006)Danny
Steinberg and Natalia, Sciarini.
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