Introduction
Oral language is one of the fundamental parts of human development. This aspect is the basis for the formation of reading and writing skills that young children will develop at further stages of development. Having a well-formed foundation in oral speech will also help develop communication, as well as strengthen confidence and a sense of well-being. A special role in this process is played by teachers and parents who guide and teach children. Thus, the study of oral speech, its milestones and functions will help greatly facilitate this process.
Oral language is characterized as a certain system by which a person uses words to express. Moreover, this characteristic includes the development of listening skills, which are also valuable in communication (Neaum, 2012). Transcriptions with dialogues with three-year-old children were used for this language samples. The pseudonyms of the study participants will be considered Suzy and Ken. The language they spoke at home was English. At this stage of oral speech development, children listen to adults and learn the meaning of phrases mainly through context. Moreover, at this age, children already know more words than they can use. In addition, all toddlers’ sentences often consist of no more than three or four words.
Language Analysis
As already mentioned, the study of the oral language at an early age is of particular value, as it is the basis for the formation of other important skills. After conducting a language sample in this study, an analysis of the results was carried out. These data include a study of the development of oral speech at the stage of early development, the functions for which children use language in everyday life and criticism of the participation of teachers and parents in language exchange.
Development of oral language
The main part of oral speech is formed in a person by the age of four. This aspect has a significant impact on the readiness of children to attend such an educational institution as kindergarten. Moreover, the level of formation of oral speech affects the success throughout the learning process and the effectiveness of communication in its duration. By the age of three, as children participating in the language sample, they should be able to call their first and last names, have from two hundred to five hundred words in stock and be able to answer simple questions (). In addition, they should be able to form sentences of four or in some cases six words and often speak these complete sentences. Furthermore, speech at this age should already be more or less clear and correct in terms of construction. These milestones are related directly to the speech milestones of this age, but there are also others that are worth mentioning.
Oral language consists in the ability to master the native language, which includes speaking and listening. Furthermore, this function is used to carry out communication between people and is the basis for reading and comprehension (Fellowes & Oakley, 2020). Important main aspects of the formation of children at the age of three years are also their cognitive abilities. This is due to the fact that their knowledge can greatly facilitate the learning process. Hence, by the age of three, children should understand the speech of an adult and repeat it correctly. In addition, they should be able to fantasize and pretend if the situation or conditions require it. Additionally, a three-year-old child should be able to repeat some parts of the story told by an adult and understand the concepts of time, which also have a specific value.
Oral language is often one of the main components of the English language, which is the main one in this study. In the broadest definition, an oral language consists of phonology, grammar, morphology, and vocabulary. The formation and consolidation of these skills occurs at an early stage of human development. That is why it is important to have a correct and well-designed oral speech training at this age, as it can have a strong effect in the future. It is also worth noting that the vocabulary of children at this stage of development is expanding as they share their experiences. To strengthen the components of the language, it is most effective to use listening to the spoken word during conversations. The more words children hear and understand, the faster their oral language develops.
Functions for which the child is using language
This paper examines the language functions that were derived by Michael Halliday. Thus, the researcher noted that its seven functions show how children use language, depending on different situations (Kearns, 2017). Moreover, Holiday believed that children learn the language because of the need to fulfill certain goals and tasks, and the man divided the functions depending on the need (Halliday, 2020). Thus, instrumental, regulatory, interactive and personal functions fulfill physical, emotional and social needs. In turn, heuristic, imaginative and representative help the child cope with the world around them.
Now, it is necessary to consider each function of using the language separately. Thus, the instrumental function is used in everyday life and helps in the process of communication and expression. In other words, this aspect helps to achieve a certain goal, the tool for which is oral language (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014). Further, the regulatory function helps to control both the behavior of the person who is speaking and who he or she is talking to. Interactive feature is directly related to the process of people communicating with each other and is also of considerable importance. It also contributes to the achievement of a communicative goal by forming the process of exchanging information and thoughts. Further, the personal function of language is conditioned by the fact that it provides data about the people who speak and their relationships with others.
The heuristic function is responsible for how the human brain organizes, analyzes and processes the information it receives during communication. Moreover, this feature helps people make decisions in a given situation. The penultimate function is imaginative, which is responsible for a person’s ability to transmit mental images using verbal and non-verbal tools. The last aspect, but not the least, is the representational function, which is related to how people use words to describe certain things, situations or people. Taking into account all these aspects is critically important in the formation of oral speech at an early stage of development.
The language register is defined as the level of formality with which a person speaks. This causes people to use different registers in different situations. Thus, the language used provides ample opportunities for learning and content (Emmitt et al., 2015). However, it is worth noting that three-year-old children do not have this sense of formality, since this concept is just beginning to take shape. That is why both language samples had no significant differences in this aspect.
Critique of adult participation in the language exchange
Adults play one of the decisive roles in the formation of oral language skills in young people at an early stage of development. Thus, they can significantly expand the communication abilities of the child through the process of playing and simply communicating with children during the game. Thus, by participating in this creative and interactive process, children set their educators as role models. At the same time, adults need to carefully monitor their behavior, since children copy almost everything from them.
There are many techniques that contribute to improving and enhancing communication with young children, which were used during the study. Firstly, it is important to always maintain a calm atmosphere while maintaining this criterion restlessly in speech. Moreover, adults need to choose words and phrases that are suitable for the age of the child. For example, when communicating with three-year-olds, short phrases are used, for better understanding, for example, “What color is this?”, and not “Please tell me what color is this ball on the top of the sheet?” Furthermore, older people should always repeat sentences if necessary, replace mistakes with corrections and constantly maintain eye contact with the child.
It is worth noting that adults also need to demonstrate and simulate active listening skills in order to develop speech, language and communication skills especially in early stages of development. If there are any difficulties in teaching a child an oral language, parents can contact educator. This specialist will help solve problems and advise the necessary techniques and methods that will significantly improve the process of forming speech skills.
Conclusion
The early childhood educator family partnerships in relation to children’s oral language development is of critical importance. This is due to the fact that such interaction can play fruitfully in relation to many factors. Hence, it can contribute to improving the performance of children and their attitude to learning. It is noted that in the case of interaction between teachers and parents, social skills are also significantly improved, the occurrence of behavioral problems decreases and the ability to adapt to situations increases (Bickley, 2008; Harris, 2013). Moreover, parents and teachers also have a certain benefit from working together. Thus, parents increase their knowledge about the upbringing and education of the child and the peculiarities of formation at a certain stage of adulthood. Teachers, in turn, have the opportunity to better understand students and can influence the learning of children with fewer difficulties and behavioral problems.
The interaction of teachers and parents plays a special role in the formation of a child’s oral skills. First of all, because the guardians need to know how to properly build their speech and behavior so that the child learns them correctly. Moreover, this type of relationship helps parents feel more comfortable and gain confidence in their parenting skills. In addition, the parent, in case of some concerns, can share concerns with the teacher so that the educator can track them and correct them in the educational environment. Both parents and teachers should take into account the necessary techniques for provoking speech and take into account the peculiarities of the oral language in children.
References
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