Cover not available

Article published In: Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 16:2 (1993) ► pp.15–26

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
authorization required

Aspects of later language development*

 | University of New South Wales
Published online: 1 January 1993
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.16.2.02col
Abstract
This paper reports some findings of a study of six year old and ten year old children which suggests that the process of language acquisition is by no means complete at the age of five (a popular misconception in some of the early literature). In particular, it is suggested that the later years are marked by an increase in the complexity of structures at group/phrase level. The study did not reveal significant developments at clause level, but several were noted at discourse level, including an increased sensitivity to the role of topic-selection in developing the shape of a text, and to the broader structural requirements of different genres.
References (12)
References
Britton, J. B. (1970) Language and learning. Penguin, London.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chomsky, C. (1969) The acquisition of syntax in children from 5 to 10. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
de Villiers, J. et al. (1979) Children’s comprehension of relative clauses. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research 81: 449–518. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fries, P. (1983) On the status of theme in English: arguments from discourse. In J. S. Petofi and E. Sozer (eds) Micro and macro connexity of texts. Buske Verlag, Hamburg.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Halliday, M. (1985) An introduction to functional grammar. Edward Arnold, London.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(1987) Spoken and written modes of meaning. In R. Horowitz and J. Samuels (eds) Comprehending oral and written language. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hasan, R. (1984) Coherence and cohesive harmony. In J. Flood (ed) Understanding reading comprehension. International Reading Association, Newark.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Karmiloff-Smith, A. (1988) Some fundamental aspects of language development after age 5. In P. Fletcher and M. Garman (eds) Language acquisition (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kernan, K. (1977) Semantic and expressive evaluation in children’s narratives. In S. Ervin-Tripp and C. Mitchell-Kernan (eds) Child discourse. Academic Press, New York. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Labov, W. (1972) Language in the inner city. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Peterson, C. and A. McCabe (1983) Developmental psycholinguistics: Three ways of looking at a child’s narrative. Plenum, New York. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Romaine, S. (1984) The language of children and adolescents. Blackwell, Oxford.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (2)

Cited by two other publications

Berry, Ruth A. W.
2006. Teacher Talk during Whole–Class Lessons: Engagement Strategies to Support the Verbal Participation of Students with Learning Disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice 21:4 ► pp. 211 ff. DOI logo
Lees-Maffei, Grace
2002. Italianità and internationalism: Production, design and mediation at Alessi, 1976–96. Modern Italy 7:1 ► pp. 37 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 14 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue