Toddlers typically begin using complex sentences and morphological markers between the ages of 2 and 3.
Timeline
- 18-24 Months: Start combining two words (e.g., "Mommy go"). This marks the initial stage of syntax development.
- 24-30 Months: Begin using three- and four-word sentences. They also start adding basic grammatical morphemes like "-ing" (e.g., "doggie running") and plural "-s" (e.g., "two cats").
- 30-36 Months: Use of more complex sentence structures emerges, including questions, negatives, and the beginning of conjunctions like "and."
More advanced morphemes appear, such as past tense "-ed" and possessive "-'s." - 3-4 Years: Further refinement of complex sentences, with the inclusion of embedded clauses and relative clauses. A wider range of morphemes is mastered, including articles, auxiliary verbs, and irregular past tense forms.
How They Learn
- Exposure and Interaction: Toddlers learn primarily through hearing and interacting with the language around them. Consistent exposure to adult speech and engaging conversations provide the necessary input for language acquisition.
- Cognitive Development: Their growing cognitive abilities allow them to understand relationships between objects and events, which translates into more complex sentence constructions.
- Trial and Error: Children experiment with language, testing different combinations and gradually refining their understanding of grammar rules. They often overgeneralize rules initially (e.g., saying "goed" instead of "went") before eventually mastering exceptions and irregularities.
Examples of Complex Sentences and Morphological Markers
- Complex sentence: "I want the toy that is on the shelf." (Embedded clause)
- Morphological markers:
- Plural: "cats"
- Possessive: "Mommy's car"
- Past tense: "I played outside."
- Progressive: "He is eating."
Important Note: The pace of language development varies among children.
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