Small language genius: How children create their own family language

Small language genius: How children create their own family language

Bamberg, Deutschland - The language acquisition of children is a fascinating topic that inspires not only scientists, but also parents. An example of this provides the author of an article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, which is reminiscent of his daughter's first linguistic attempts. Her first word was "cucumber" and she is now almost two years old. She is already trying to record new words and has acquired the word "Hoppala" from another child. This uses this when she falls or when eating - an expression that the parents have also taken over in their vocabulary. Such forms of interaction are not only heartwarming, but also show how children can make language alive. [sueddeutsche.de] reports that colleagues from the weekly dressage have put together an ABC with family words, which illustrates the variety of linguistic expressions within the family.

Another article by Kizz looks at the phenomenon of the family language, which develops over generations and is often enriched by the children with their own creations. In many families, terms such as "Guggeli" and "Muffelchen" are argued that stand for a drain cleaner and the interior of a bun. Children between the ages of three and five are particularly inventive and create independent words such as "Klingler" for the repairer of the front door ring and "piano" play for the piano. These creative forms of expression are not only amusing, but also a sign of how children perceive language as an independent and dynamic system and experiment with it. [herder.de] shows that such childish word creations usually do not find a place outside the family that only develop their meaning in a family context.

The role of parental communication

The role of parents is crucial for the linguistic development of their children. As part of the "Elsie" project, scientists from the Otto Friedrich University Bamberg examine how children learn language and what importance the communication with the parents has. The aim of the study is to explore the early childhood-communicative development and interaction between parents and the child. During visits to the study, children play child -friendly games while the parents at the same time fill out a questionnaire. It is examined how parent behavior and linguistic development are linked. [Kinderzeit.de] emphasizes that such immediate interactions are of central importance for language development.

An aspect of the study is that children with permanent hearing disabilities are also included in order to draw conclusions about language development and the parent-child relationship in this context. Participation is possible for families who mostly speak German, and the data is recorded anonymously. The university's ethics committee approved the study, which ensures the confidentiality of the participants. Finally, the families get the video of their game session and every child a small gift.

Overall, this large number of developments illustrate how important language and communication are for child development. Regardless of whether through your own word creations or through the exchange with the parents - language remains a dynamic element that creates community and identity.