It is necessary for children to master the syntax (or grammar) of their native language
in order to effectively communicate meaning (the semantic aspect of language).
Bruner (1983) suggested that, “it seems highly unlikely in the light of our present
knowledge that infants learn grammar for its own sake. Its mastery seems always to
be instrumental to doing something with words in the real world, if only meaning
something” (p. 17).
“Spoken language,” according to Bruner (1983), “can be divided into two main areas-receptive
language and expressive
language”(p.
4). Receptive
language refers
to
the
comprehension
of language, and expressive
language is the
use of language to
express
thoughts,
feelings,
needs, dreams,
etc.
When
you
say
to
a child,
“Where
is the
kitty?”
and
the
child
points to
the
cat, this
is a demonstration
of her comprehension,
or level
of
receptive
language.
There are other relevant aspects of children’s language, which relate to making and
interpreting meaning. Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (1999) asserted that, “infants use
language for more than just material ends, that they start to communicate and then to
talk because they want us to understand what they are thinking. (They) want to create
a ‘meeting of the minds’ ” (p. 74). This communication, whether verbal or graphic, often
takes a narrative form in early childhood, particularly as the child approaches schoolage.
I would like to expand on the common definition of narrative by citing Gallas (1994),
who argued that “because narrative is sometimes so narrowly viewed as having to do
with stories and storytelling, and thus is often confused with fiction, it is sometimes
thought of as only an aesthetic or literary experience” (p. xiv). In her research, Gallas
(1994) found that children use “personal narratives that attempt to order and explain
their world,” and that these narratives “if uncovered and honored in the context of the
classroom, can become powerful vehicles for thinking and learning” (p. xiv).
Danko-McGee (2006) described some of the narrative dialog that took place between
parent and child at The Family Center in the Toledo Museum of Art. Museum
educators set up interactive learning centers in an effort to link these experiences with
artworks in the exhibit. These conversations helped to build their vocabulary as they
used descriptive language, sometimes modeled by their parents (Danko-McGee, 2006,
p. 34).