ORAL

LANGUAGE
*
* What is oral language?"
* Oral language is the system through
which we use spoken words to express
knowledge, ideas, and feelings. Developing
ELs’ oral language, then, means developing
the skills and knowledge that go into
listening and speaking—all of which have a
strong relationship to reading comprehension
and to writing. Oral language is made up of
at least five key components (Moats 2010):
phonological skills, pragmatics, syntax,
morphological skills, and vocabulary (also
referred to as semantics). All of these
components of oral language are necessary
to communicate and learn through
conversation and spoken interaction, but
there are important distinctions among them
that have implications for literacy
instruction.
*
* The Components of Oral Language
* A student’s phonological skills are those that
give her an awareness of the sounds of
language, such as the sounds of syllables and
rhymes (Armbruster, Lehr, and Osborne 2001). In
addition to being important for oral language
development, these skills play a foundational
role in supporting word-reading development. In
the early stages of learning how to read words,
children are often encouraged to sound out the
words. But before even being able to match the
sounds to the letters, students need to be able
to hear and understand the discrete sounds that
make up language. Phonological skills typically
do not present lasting sources of difficulty for
ELs; we know that under appropriate
instructional circumstances, on average, ELs
and their monolingual English-speaking peers
develop phonological skills at similar levels, and
in both groups, these skills are mastered by the
early elementary grades. Students’ skills in the
domains of syntax, morphology,
and pragmatics are central for putting together
and taking apart the meaning of sentences and
paragraphs, and for oral and written dialogue.
* Syntax refers to an understanding of word order and
grammatical rules (Cain 2007; Nation and Snowling
2000). For example, consider the following two
sentences: Sentence #1: Relationships are preserved
only with care and attention. Sentence #2: Only with
care and attention are relationships preserved.
* In these cases, although the word orders are different,
the sentences communicate the same message. In other
cases, a slight change in word order alters a sentence’s
meaning. For example:
* Sentence #1: The swimmer passed the canoe.
Sentence #2: The canoe passed the swimmer.
* Morphology, discussed in more detail in Chapter 7,
refers to the smallest meaningful parts from which
words are created, including roots, suffixes, and
prefixes (Carlisle 2000; Deacon and Kirby 2004). When a
reader stumbles upon an unfamiliar word
(e.g., unpredictable), an awareness of how a particular
prefix or suffix (e.g., un- and -able) might change the
meaning of a word or how two words with the same root
may relate in meaning to each other
(e.g., predict, predictable, unpredictable) supports her
ability to infer the unfamiliar word’s meaning. In fact,
for both ELs and monolingual English speakers, there is a
reciprocal relationship between morphological
awareness and reading comprehension, and the strength
of that relationship increases throughout elementary
school (Carlisle 2000; Deacon and Kirby 2004; Goodwin
et al. 2013; Kieffer, Biancarosa, and Mancilla-Martinez
2013; Nagy, Berninger, and Abbott 2006).
Pragmatics refers to an understanding of the social rules
of communication (Snow and Uccelli 2009). So, for
example, pragmatics involve how we talk when we have a
particular purpose (e.g., persuading someone versus
appeasing someone), how we communicate when we’re
engaging with a particular audience (e.g., a family
member versus an employer), and what we say when we
find ourselves in a particular context (e.g., engaging in a
casual conversation versus delivering a public speech).
These often implicit social rules of communication differ
across content areas or even text genres. Pragmatics play
a role in reading comprehension because much of making
meaning from text depends upon having the right ideas
about the norms and conventions for interacting with
others—to understand feelings, reactions, and dilemmas
among characters or populations, for example, and even
to make inferences and predictions. The reader has to be
part of the social world of the text for effective
comprehension.
Vocabulary knowledge must be fostered from early
childhood through adolescence.
Finally, having the words to engage in dialogue—
the vocabulary knowledge— is also a key part of oral
language, not to mention comprehending and
communicating using print (Beck, McKeown, and Kucan
2013; Ouellette 2006). Vocabulary knowledge, also
referred to as semantic knowledge, involves
understanding the meanings of words and phrases
(aka receptive vocabulary) and using those words and
phrases to communicate effectively (aka expressive
vocabulary).
*
Notably, vocabulary knowledge exists in degrees, such that
any learner has a particular “level” of knowledge of any
given word (Beck, McKeown, and Kucan 2013). This begins
with the word sounding familiar and moves toward the
ability to use the word flexibly, even metaphorically, when
speaking and writing. Vocabulary knowledge must be
fostered from early childhood through adolescence. Deep
vocabulary knowledge is often a source of difficulty for
ELs, hindering their literacy development (August and
Shanahan 2006).
Children develop language rapidly in the preschool years
with the help of teachers who purposefully plan and
provide language-rich interactions and content – rich
experiences on a daily basis. It is not important for
teachers to memorize the five primary components of oral
language, but it is essential that preschool teachers
understand what the terms mean in order to plan and
facilitate effective conversations and language activities
for the children in their classroom. These components of
language are significant not only for the development of
oral language, but also for children’s later success in
understanding and using written language.
The five basic components can be found throughout the
VPK standards. For example, Language & Communication:
IV. D. Sentences and Structure-1. Uses age-appropriate
grammar in conversations. Benchmark: Child typically uses
sentences of four or more words, usually with subject,
verb, and object order. The basic component that this
VPK standard is based on is syntax (grammar).
Young children need to develop skills in the five primary
components of oral language:
Children have to learn that language conveys meaning,
semantics. For example, If I say, “Look up,” children
need to understand that this means to tilt your head
back and look up towards the sky.
Children need to understand that the order of words
creates meaning, syntax (grammar). For example, “I am
going to school” makes sense, but “I am school going to”
does not make sense.
Children need to learn how to manipulate the smallest
units of meaning (morphemes) in language, morphology.
For example, when children are talking in past tense
they must be able to figure out that instead of saying, “I
walk to school yesterday,” They should say, “I walked to
school yesterday.”
Children need to understand that the smallest units of
sound (phonemes) can be combined to make words,
phonology. For example, cat has three phonemes (/c/
/a/ /t/).
Children need to understand how to use language in
social contexts, pragmatics. They need to know what to
say, how to say it, and when to say it - and how to "be"
with other people.
Importance of Oral Language
Children who develop strong oral language
skills during the preschool years create an
important foundation for their later
achievements in reading, especially
reading comprehension (Storch &
Whitehurst, 2002).
Children who lag behind their peers in
language development are at-risk for later
reading difficulties (Catts, Fey, Tomblin, &
Zhang, 2002).
Vocabulary knowledge is strongly related
to reading proficiency and overall
academic success (Beck, McKeown,&
Kucan, 2002)
Stages in Language Development
Birth to 1 year:
First few months - babbling and cooing
8 months - repeated consonant and vowel sounds (i.e., da,
da, or ma, ma)
8-12 months - first words spoken (i.e., Mommy)
From 1 to 2 years-
One word utterances
Use telegraphic speech
From 2 to 3 years-
Continue to use telegraphic speech
Sometimes use functional words

From 3 to 4 years-
Syntactic structures added include plurals and regular
verbs
Apply basic rules that govern language
Talk about what they are doing while they are doing
the activity
From 5 to 6 years-
Their talk sounds like adult talk
Knows that a word can have more than one meaning
Creative in using language
Conversational Strategies
& Peer Conversations
Conversational Strategies:
• Clarify & Extend
• Question & Tell
• Think – Aloud
• Peer-to-peer
conversations:
• Talk about a book in pairs
Have conversations in
centers
• Talk about what they are
eating during snack
Thing to Avoid When
Talking to Children
• Correct children’s
grammar or
pronunciation
• Demand complete
sentences
• Reject children’s home
language
• Demand a quiet
classroom
How Do We Increase
Children’s Vocabularies?
• Language-rich
interactions with
adults
• Reading frequently to
children
• Use of interesting
themes
• Incorporating the 5
best practices into
your curriculum
Instruction: 5 Best
Practices
• Shared book reading
• Songs, rhymes, and
word play
• Storytelling
• Circle time
• Dramatic Play
*
Is all the word symbols that make up a particular
code or language.
Having a large and flexible vocabulary is
important because language
is symbolic
has standards for appropriateness
adds interest to communication
We communicate with others based on the
meanings we assign to things around us and the
symbols we use to communicate those
meanings.
When people share knowledge and
understanding of language, they are able to
communicate effectively.
A broad base of knowledge and meaning on a
wide range and variety of subjects, along with
knowledge about language, provides a base for
effective communication.
*Meaning
* The basic understandings and rules
that regulate the use of language.
* These rules identify all the different
components of a language, explain
their functions and dictate the way they
are used in communication.
* Not all languages observe the same
rules of grammer. Learning the rules
that regulate a particular code is
important to using a language
appropriately and skillfully.
* Sound is central to the very idea of oral
language.
* Oral means uttered or spoken.
Importance of sound
* Sounds not only are vital for
understanding the words of a
language, they also affect the
interpretation of messages Sound and
Image
* Fair or not, individuals often are judged
and labeled according to the way their
speech sounds.
*
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YOUR FACILITATOR
MARITA G. SEGARRA