Describe child language development
Recognise broad stages of early development and analyse spoken features in relation to age and interactional context.
Section Paper 3 · Language Analysis
Exam scope and assessment notes
These original lessons support study of the official syllabus; they are not Cambridge materials. Practice is self-checked and does not award Cambridge marks or grades. Extended writing and analytical essays need qualified subject-teacher review. Full timed papers and examiner-marked learner responses are not provided here. Interpret language choices in context and qualify claims about audience response.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
A child says 'more juice' while reaching for a cup. What can you analyse?
What you will learn
- Identify babbling, holophrastic, telegraphic, post-telegraphic and continuing development.
- Analyse phonological, lexical, grammatical, semantic and pragmatic features.
- Use developmental labels as tendencies and anchor claims in evidence.
Use stages as broad guides
The syllabus focuses on language acquisition from ages 0 to 8 and includes babbling, holophrastic use, telegraphic combinations, post-telegraphic speech and continuing development.
These labels organise observations; they are not fixed deadlines every child follows identically. Age, exposure, language background, interaction and task can affect what appears in a short sample. Describe the evidence before relating it to a stage.
Analyse child and adult contributions
Look for sounds, word choices, word combinations, inflections, sentence patterns, turn-taking, requests, repairs and responses to prompts. Explain what a feature may show about the developing system or communicative purpose.
A transcript is a partial sample. A form may reflect the topic or task rather than stable ability. Do not diagnose a child or claim more than the interaction records.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
Why should stage labels be used cautiously?
Worked example
Invented transcript: Child, age 3: 'Mina goed home.' Adult: 'Mina went home?' Child: 'Yeah, she went home.' What can be analysed?
Show the worked solution
- The child applies a regular past-tense pattern to an irregular verb.
- After the adult's recast, the child uses 'went' in the next turn.
- This exchange shows immediate uptake, not proof of lasting learning.
Answer The form 'goed' applies a productive past-tense pattern to an irregular verb. The adult supplies 'went' and the child repeats it; this transcript supports analysis of recasting and immediate uptake, but not a claim about long-term acquisition.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Invented utterance: 'Daddy car go.' Identify one grammatical observation and one possible function.
Give me a hint
Describe the word sequence, then infer a function from context.
Compare my reasoning
- Note the short content-word sequence and omitted inflections or function words.
- Consider whether it comments on or requests a car journey.
- Keep the function tentative without more turns.
The utterance combines content words in a short, telegraphic-style sequence without an overt article or tense marker. It may comment on a car going or request a journey; more context would help distinguish the meanings.
Look for these in your work
- Describes form
- Offers a context-based function
- Qualifies the interpretation
Adult: 'Where did the teddy go?' Child: 'Under table.' Explain what the transcript allows you to say.
Give me a hint
Analyse the location phrase and omitted article while recognising communicative success.
Compare my reasoning
- Identify 'under' as a location marker and note the omitted article.
- Explain that the child gives a relevant answer.
- Avoid inferring a general inability from one response.
The child uses 'under' to mark location and answers relevantly, while omitting 'the'. This shows a successful response in the interaction; it does not establish the child's full grammatical system.
Look for these in your work
- Uses specific evidence
- Separates communication from form
- Avoids overgeneralising
A transcript has repeated adult questions and short child answers. How could task design affect your analysis?
Give me a hint
Compare narrow questions with open prompts or child-initiated turns.
Compare my reasoning
- Notice whether the questions invite only short answers.
- Compare with moments when the child initiates or elaborates.
- Treat the result as interaction-specific unless wider data agree.
The analyst should distinguish child language from the opportunities the adult creates. Short replies after narrow questions may reflect the task; open prompts or child-initiated turns could produce more language. Broader contexts would be needed for a developmental claim.
Look for these in your work
- Considers adult contribution
- Uses contrasting evidence
- Notes data limits
Common mistakes
- Treating stages as rigid age cut-offs
- Calling every non-adult form an error without describing its pattern
- Claiming one transcript proves a developmental theory
What can you explain now?
What should come before linking an utterance to a theory?
Compare with the explanation
A precise description of the language evidence and interaction
Analysis should be anchored in the transcript rather than a theory label.
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Make it stick
What is the difference between describing an utterance and explaining its communicative function?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.