LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: A CASE STUDY OF THE SYNTACTIC DEVELOPMENT OF A HAUSA CHILD

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Date
1992
Authors
KATSINA, MUNIR MAMMAN
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Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify the language acquisition of a 25 to 60 months old boy as it related to the development of statements, interrogatives, commands and negatives. The concentration was on the types of patterns, stages and strategies of language development adopted by the child and the factors that influenced their development. It was also the aim of the study to identify whether or not the child passed through similar developmental stages, or adopted similar strategies of language learning as other language acquirers reviewed in this study. The subject of the study was observed to pass through the one word, two word, three word, and sentence stages of language acquisition. The one word stage ran from 25 to 27 months, while the two word stage was from 27 months and continued up to 30 months, when three words appeared. Sentences began to emerge at this stage (i.e 30 months) and continued to the end of the period of the study (60 months). Thus, about four developmental stageswere passed through by the subject in an attempt to acquire his language. The patterns of the subject's speech from 25-36 months ware of the one to two word types accompanied by gestures and body movement. The patterns of the subject's sentences ix from 36 - li-8 months were of telegraphic speech. He produced three words without function elements such as co-ordinators or modifiers. From 48 - 60 months, function werds were used. Possessive elements such as - na (mine (m)) and - ta (mine(F)) were attached to the words signifying the things possessed. The referentials - n (the known referent (M) and -r (the known referent (F)) alse develeped. Towards the end of the study i. e at 60 months, co-ordinators and conductions were freely used te Join clauses and sentences. The subject adopted various strategies in his L-, acquisition. The first observable strategy was that of comprehending speech heard from adults before starting te produce it. It took the subject 20 months of listening, documenting and observing the adult's speech before he started te speak at the age of 25 months. When he, however, started the actual speech, he continued to progress until he was able te closely master the language at 60 months. The next observed strategy was that of simultaneous use of imitation and repetition of the adult's speech. The subject used to imitate words and sentences heard from adults and repeated them over and over. The imitation was tbserved to be systematic, because he imitated only one or two words of the long adult sentences.
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A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS. FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN (CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION)
Keywords
LANGUAGE, ACQUISITION
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