Language Acquisition

This text provides a comprehensive introduction to current thinking on
language acquisition. Following an introductory chapter that discusses the
foundations of linguistic inquiry, the book covers the acquisition of specific
aspects of language from birth to about age 6. Topics include the language abilities
of newborns, the acquisition of phonological properties of language, the lexicon,
syntax, pronoun and sentence interpretation, control structures, specific language
impairments, and the relationship between language and other cognitive functions.At
the conclusion of each chapter are a summary of the material covered, a list of
keywords, study questions, and exercises. The book, which adopts the perspective of
Chomskyan Universal Generative Grammar throughout, assumes a familiarity with basic
concepts of linguistic theory.