Individual differences in language development

the long version

Do all children learn language in the same way? Is the apparent "fast" versus "slow" language learning rate among children a reflection of the individual child's approach to language acquisition? This volume explores the importance that individual differences have in acquiring language, and challenges some of the widely held theories of linguistic development. Focusing on children ages 1 to 3, Shore describes characteristic differences in terms of vocabulary, grammatical, and phonological development, and considers whether distinctive "styles" of language development can be defined. In addition, the social and cognitive influences that can explain these differences are examined. Individual Differences in Language Development concludes with a look at new language theories such as ecological, chaos, and connectionist approaches and considers what individual differences in development can tell us about the mechanisms of language development.