the development of speech comprehension

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THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPEECH COMPREHENSION

Abdulaziz Assanosi

6/1/2016

Prince Sattam ibn Abdulaziz University Saudi Arabia

Abdulaziz Assanosi [email protected] 2

REVIEW• Children pass through many stages to develop

comprehensible speech? What are they?• When do children normally utter their first (recognizable

proper word)?• Describe the development of deaf children language.• What is the approximate age for children to speak a

comprehensible sentences (include lexical and functional words) 6/1/2016


GROUP WORK (BRAIN STORMING)1. When do children start to understand speech?

2. What come first speech comprehension or production?

3. If a Saudi child born in japan for Saudi parents, what is the first word s/he will utter? AR, or JPN?

4. What would his first language be?

5. If we keep saying (cat-room) for an Arabian child for Arabian family in Arabian country , will he learn the meaning, and understand it?

6. 7 minutes to think, discuss and provide your answers

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DEVELOPMENT OF SPEECH COMPREHENSION

• In your opinion, what comes first (speech production/comprehension?

• When do a child start to comprehend speech?• Can children understand speech that they cannot utter?• Is there a relationship between a language and its speed of

comprehension

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BEFORE BIRTH

• Researchers found that fetuses can receive sounds.• They can distinguish their mothers’ sounds over the

heartbeat and blood flow sounds.• Their heartbeats became faster when they hear their

mother voice.

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BEFORE BIRTH

• If this is true, it can explain why infants prefer their mothers’ voice from very early age.• This theory is under dispute, • If fetuses can hear sounds, do their ears send these

sounds to the brain? Can brain process them?

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BEFORE BIRTH

• Another theory is that infants get used to their mothers’ voice in the 12 hours after birth.

• Mothers’ speech with her children gives children the first human sounds that he will prefer later.

• If this so, fetuses hearing theory will be under more dispute.• Even if fetuses hear, these sounds will be different from the

sounds they hear after birth.6/1/2016


CASES OF SPEECH COMPREHENSION DEVELOPMENT

• Speech comprehension happens without speech production.• Speech comprehension develops before speech

production.• Speech production lags behind speech comprehension.

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SPEECH COMPREHENSION HAPPEN WITHOUT SPEECH PRODUCTION.• The ability to utter speech is a good indicator to language

knowledge.• The absence of utterance IS NOT indicator of to lack of language

knowledge.• Mute children can comprehend language but they cannot utter it.• Some people may not be able to utter a word. But understand

language very well.• Examples ……… 6/1/2016


SPEECH COMPREHENSION HAPPEN WITHOUT SPEECH PRODUCTION.

• Christopher Nolan: (Australian)• Born with brain damage. Cannot control his muscles.

Cannot utter understandable speech. Cannot sit up by himself. But hear and understand well.• Became a writer by using sticks to point to letters. Of his

books (Dam-burst of dreams).6/1/2016



• Ann McDonald (American)• Had brain damage. Cannot speak or control hear muscles.

Trained to use print devices and wrote books about philosophy of fine arts.

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• Mute people can comprehend speech without producing it.• This is not the normal relation between speech

comprehension and production.

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SPEECH COMPREHENSION DEVELOPS BEFORE SPEECH PRODUCTION

• This is the normal pattern most children follow.• First children understand speech they try to produce it.• If children do not understand language, s/he cannot

produce it.• This does not mean ALL the language, progress go step by

step.6/1/2016



• Comprehension and production go in parallel.• Children try to apply what they comprehend directly after

they acquire it.

•…comprehension

•…Production

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• Babies can recognize speech starting from 6 month of age.• However, no evidences of UNDERSTANDING.• After 8-9 month children start to connect speech to objects.

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• Normally children COMPREHEND more than what they PRODUCE.• They can understand complex utterances but produce simple

ones.• They respond to complex requests, order, information, but

they cannot produce similar ones6/1/2016

SPEECH PRODUCTION LAGS BEHIND SPEECH COMPREHENSION.


SPEECH PRODUCTION LAGS BEHIND SPEECH COMPREHENSION.

• Not normal: some children speak after a long time of their comprehension.• Usually those children DELAY at the HOLOPHRASTIC (one-word)

stage.• If the child stop development until the age of two year, it is

better for his/her parents to take him to speech pathology doctor. 6/1/2016


CHECKPOINT• The theory about fetuses hearing is under dispute, why?• What are 3 cases of speech comprehension development?• The absence of utterance IS NOT indicator of to lack of language

knowledge, prove.• When do children try to apply what they comprehend?• When do normal children connect speech to objects?• In what stage do children with speech problem stop development?

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CHECKPOINT• T or F• Speech comprehension can happen without speech production.• The absence of production doesn’t mean absence of language

knowledge.• Children normally speak, then they start to comprehend.• The optimal age for speech production is two years after

holophrastic stage.• Children produce more than what they comprehend.

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PAUCITY OF COMPREHENSION STUDIES• Speech production studies and research are much more

than speech comprehension.• We know more about speech production than speech

comprehension.• Why:• Speech production follow-up is easier.• Speech production is directly observed.• To study comprehension, more subjects need to be studied.6/1/2016


Speech Production <> Speech Comprehension <> thought

• There is a relationship between speech comprehension/production and thought.• Child first comprehend then speak.• Comprehension = listening + thought.• Without thought there is no production

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Speech Production <> Speech Comprehension <> thought

production

hearing

comprehension

thought

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Speech Production <> Speech Comprehension <> thought• Sometimes children may utter words without

understanding, (echoed sounds).• Children are born without language knowledge,• It is necessary they be exposed to language to learn it.• The speech directed to children should be related to

children environment, need etc.6/1/2016


Speech Production <> Speech Comprehension <> thought• There should be meaning + context for children speech

to be considered language, parrots can imitate.• Thought is important for language, without it, speech is

just MEANINGLESS SOUNDS.• Thought come from surrounding culture, environment. • If you repeat the word (milk) for Arabian child it means

nothing (the converse is true).• Words like (here, go, come, now) are just sounds if you

don’t know the context. 6/1/2016


TERMINUS

• Why do we know more about speech production than about speech comprehension?

• Describe the relationship between production, thought and speech comprehension?

• How should the speech directed to child be so as to make them develop language?

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THANK YOU• This presentation is for classroom usage, it contained gaps to be

filled by classroom discussion for more detailed information consult the reference book:

• An introduction to Psycholinguistics, second edition (2006)Danny Steinberg and Natalia, Sciarini.

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the development of speech comprehension

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