How children speak. Do they? – Michael Rosen

I’ve just read this article by Michael Rosen and I can’t agree more with what he says. Language doesn’t, and never has, fit in to ‘boxes’  or set patterns that apply to every situation. I watch my children communicate (aged 4 and 1) and I don’t think they ever use full sentences (the 1 year old, obviously not, but she has a range of about 70-80 words that she uses very accurately and flexibly), although my oldest is more than capable of speaking in full sentences. 

People seem to forget that spoken language is varied and doesn’t hold the same ‘conventions’ as written language (and there are variances in written conventions as well). 

There are a lot of misleading statements doing the rounds in connection with children’s spoken language. First of all, we need to remember that no one speaks in what the Secretary of State for Education calls ‘full sentences’. When we speak, we hesitate, interrupt ourselves (or each other), we speak over each other, we don’t…

via How children speak. Do they? — Michael Rosen