Media Text: Synthesising Skills

Mission Impossible?

Have you ever tried to learn a new language? Perhaps French? Or maybe Spanish for a holiday abroad? Many of us imagine it to be simple, so that before you know it, you’re fluent in a week! Realistically, it doesn’t happen quite like that. It’s a lot of words, a lot of strange grammar and, sometimes, it seems like mission impossible.

‘They can’t talk straight

Any more than they can walk straight.

Their pronunciation is awful

And their grammar is flawful.’

Just like Ogden Nash’s poem describes, a child’s language is, at first, ‘flawful,’ and this is because learning a language is a slow, but steady process that we’ve all gone through. No matter what age your child may be, they are at some stage of developing language.

If your child has already spoken their first word, you will remember how exciting it is. And if your child hasn’t, I’m sure you’re looking forward to it! For months and months a child has responded with funny noises, babbling and, worst of all, crying… when finally, a word! That special day marks the start of audible progress towards fully developed language. It’s a proud moment for any parent.

However, language researchers remind parents that one word alone is not language, which seems a little discouraging, but take this as hint that the best is yet to come! The early stages of language can be a tad frustrating. ‘Mamma… say Mamma… Mammmma.’ Sound in any way familiar? When a child eventually says mamma, Andrew Wilkinson says that it’s just repetition but this isn’t any reason not to celebrate! A child that has begun to copy will quickly progress onto the next stage.   

So what is the next stage? Well, Caroline Bowen, a language specialist, talked about how a child aged between 1 and 2, will begin to understand simple words, simple commands and simple questions. So, let’s call this the Simple Stage. Within the Simple Stage, a child will not only understand these things, they will also begin to join in. Unfortunately for parents like yourselves, this will probably involve singing the same song over and over again, or reading the same story night after night. Sorry.

After the Simple Stage, progress will be rapid. Soon it’ll be fully formed sentences and before you know it, your child will be answering back and refusing to load the dish washer- but let’s not worry about that just yet. Old McDonald may not be your favourite tune, but it’s worth it in the end.