Talking Baby: Helping Your Child Discover Language

by Margaret Maclagan, Anne Buckley

Overview

This book starts by describing a baby’s language development alongside their physical development in the first 18 months. It then discusses play—the way young children learn. It also explores childrens' very early acquisition of words, and how they use them, and it covers the exciting development when a child can put two words together and talk about more complicated things. Lastly it looks at the variety in children’s progress with language which can involve particular stages, such as saying "no" and asking lots of questions. The end of every chapter offers a summary of tips for parents.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781925048605
Publisher:	Finch Publishing
Publication date:	09/28/2016
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 5.80(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Margaret Maclagan has been a lecturer in child language development and language analysis for more than three decades. Anne Buckley is a former speech-language therapist and a medical writer and editor.

Editorial Reviews

10/17/2016
Maclagan and Buckley describe infants’ language-learning process in a detailed, easy-to-understand book that’s sure to be a handy reference tool for new parents, grandparents, and anyone curious about language and how it is learned. The book begins with a reference chart describing key language-learning milestones and directing readers to applicable chapters to learn more. Throughout, graphic inserts address key questions, such as “What does science tell us?” and highlight relevant facts. What makes this book so appealing is its focus on parental involvement. Rather than simply detailing language acquisition, the authors explain how to actively engage in sections such as “Talking and Reading Times.” These sections include tips for each stage and helpful “try this, not that” suggestions or questions to prompt activity or ideas. The tone is light and includes funny and memorable “The Things They Say” highlights. For anxious new parents, the authors provide the occasional reassurance. An FAQ section is included at the end, as is a brief list of book recommendations and websites for further information. This is a useful reference and valuable addition to the new baby library. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Scientifically-informed and yet utterly accessible, Talking Baby is a celebration of child language acquisition. It will be a welcome and fun read for anyone with young children in their life." —Dr. Alexandra D'Arcy, Associate Professor & Director, Department of Linguistics, University of Victoria


“This commendable title provides exactly what parents need without becoming bogged down in research and academics.” —Library Journal

From the Publisher

★ 01/01/2017
In this puddle-jumper from down under, child language development lecturer Maclagan and speech-language therapist Buckley set forth a just-technical-enough look at how children acquire language and how to best support its development. Beginning with infancy, the authors encourage parents to talk, talk, talk, about anything and to leave time for "response" (anything the baby does is her "turn" in the conversation). They do an excellent job of explaining why language and motor development often coincide (first sounds happen after six months when babies become vertical and the tongue is no longer "flopping against the back of the mouth"), and further details what language acquisition parents can best support at that time, such as "performatives," which are words associated with gestures (e.g., "bye bye"). Librarians would do well to follow and suggest the authors' reading recommendations, such as choosing books with rhythm and rhyme for infants so they can focus on voice, and then moving on to books that stimulate gleeful recognition of everyday life (bedtime, bathing, block play) for one- and two-year-olds. VERDICT This commendable title provides exactly what parents need without becoming bogged down in research and academics. For all libraries.

Library Journal

★ 02/01/2017
In this puddle-jumper from down under, child language development lecturer Maclagan and speech-language therapist Buckley set forth a just-technical-enough look at how children acquire language and how to best support its development. Beginning with infancy, the authors encourage parents to talk, talk, talk about anything and to leave time for "response" (anything the baby does is her "turn" in the conversation). They do an excellent job of explaining why language and motor development often coincide (first sounds happen after six months when babies become vertical and the tongue is no longer "flopping against the back of the mouth"), and further details what language acquisition parents can best support at that time, such as "performatives," which are words associated with gestures (e.g., "bye bye"). Librarians would do well to follow and suggest the authors' reading recommendations, such as choosing books with rhythm and rhyme for infants so they can focus on voice, and then moving on to books that stimulate gleeful recognition of everyday life (bedtime, bathing, block play) for one- and two-year-olds. VERDICT This commendable title provides exactly what parents need without becoming bogged down in research and academics. For all libraries.—Julianne Smith, Ypsilanti District Library, MI

School Library Journal