Introduction to Language Development

Introduction to Language Development provides an up-to-date yet comprehensible introduction to the complexity of language development. The textbook is designed for use in language acquisition courses in undergraduate and graduate-level courses in speech-language pathology programs. The primary components of language development (morphology, phonology, semantics, syntax, pragmatics, literacy development, and multicultural and multi-linguistic differences) are presented in an uncomplicated manner, along with examples that illustrate children's speech and language behaviors.

Key features:

• Each chapter begins with an illustrative vignette and learning objectives to support students' understanding of the main points
• Within the chapters, tables and figures provide examples and features that elaborate and clarify the information presented
• Study questions appear at the end of each chapter to assure students grasp and retain the information presented in the text and classroom lectures
• A comprehensive glossary of key words in each chapter helps students locate the definitions of key terms

An Introduction to Language Development Workbook is also available to help reinforce student comprehension of the material in the textbook.

Sandra Levey, PhD, is a faculty member at the City University of New York, Lehman College. She received her PhD in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and an MA in Linguistics from Stanford University, with a minor in African Studies. Dr. Levey has been designated by ASHA as a Board Recognized Specialist in Child Language. She has received research grants for study at Bayero University in Kano, Nigeria, and has served as a consultant in Bratislava, Slovakia, for a study of Slovakian children s morpheme acquisition and as a guest lecturer for speech-language pathologists and linguists from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In 1985, she was the Conference Coordinator of the Stanford Child Language Research Forum for the Stanford University Department of Linguistics. Dr. Levey's research and publications have focused on bilingualism and cultural differences, and she has presented her research efforts at national and international conferences. She is the editor and chapter author of Language Development: Understanding Diversity in the Classroom, a textbook designed to help pre-teachers understand children s language development and the language diversity found in classrooms.