Telegraphic Speech/ Early Multiple Word Stage
Telegraphic Speech/ Early Multiple Word Stage
After the two words stage and the appearance of an early grammar the child starts putting three or more words to convey the message they intend. At this level, the child utterances are abbreviated and take the form of a telegram. They carry out speech as if they have to pay for each word. For this reason, researchers find it suitable to name this stage as telegraphic speech. In this regard, Ashford, LeCroy (2009:252) say that:
When you have to pay for each word you use, as you do when sending a telegram, then you want to use only words that are absolutely necessary to convey your message. So, in telegraphic speech babies use nouns, verbs, and adjectives. They omit auxiliary verbs, prepositions, articles and pronouns.
Henceforth, the child uses a simplest combination of words which resembles to the one of telegrams. In fact, when people in the past sent telegram they did not write long messages because it was expensive. Thus, they eliminate all the little and irrelevant words and instead of saying „I am going to arrive at the train station 09.00 p.m.‟, they say „Arriving station 09 p.m.‟.
This phase starts at the age of 2-3 years old where the vocabulary of the baby increases and reaches about 900 hundreds words involving nouns, verbs and so on. Hence, complete sentences with grammatical structure take place and the child is then able to speak his first entire and simple sentences.
Later Multiple Word- Speech
When the child is between 3 and 4 years old, he will be able to effectuate a conversation with an adult, as he will be intrusive by asking questions almost the time and inquiring the reasons behind the occurrence of a given events or actions done by others. This kind of utterances and inquiries are classified within the later multi word speech. Yet, the distinctiveness of this phase is not the number of words used; it is rather the various types of words that start to take place. That is, the child can speak in three to four words and put them in a sentence where the child‟s grammar development is significantly discernible.
3-4 years old
*Enjoys listening to stories
* Still finds it difficult to attend to more than one thing at a time, so can't easily listen to a speaker whilst still carrying on an activity.
* Understands questions or instructions with two parts:„get your jumper‟ and
„stand by the door‟
*Understands „why‟ questions
*Aware of time in relation to past, present and future, e.g. Today is sunny, yesterday was rainy. I wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow?
* Uses sentences of four to six words, e.g. ‟I want to play with cars‟,
„What‟s that thingy called?‟
Uses future and past tense.
* May continue to have problems with irregular words, „runned‟ for ‟ran‟, „swimmed‟ for „swam‟
*Able to remember and enjoys telling long stories or singing songs
*Has problems saying r, j, th, ch, and sh.
*Understands turn-taking as well as sharing with adults and peers
* Initiates conversations
*Enjoys playing with peers
*Able to argue with adults or peers if they disagree – uses words, not just actions.
4 – 5 years
*Attention is now more flexible – the child can understand spoken instructions related to a task without stopping the activity to look at the speaker.
* Able to follow simple story without pictures
*Understands instructions containing sequencing words; „first... after... last‟
*Understands adjectives:soft, hard, smooth, etc
*Aware of more complex humour, laughs at jokes that are told.
*Uses well- formed sentences, e.g. „I played with Ben at lunch time‟ but there may still be some grammatical errors.
*Easily understood by adults and peers, with
only a few immaturities in speech sounds, for example, „th‟, „r‟ and three consonant combinations „scribble‟
*Frequently asks the meaning of unfamiliar words and may use them randomly.
* Uses language to gain information, negotiate, discuss feelings/ideas and
give opinions.