Language Differences: Age Essay

When children are young, apart from natural instincts and biological aspects, their brains are virtually blank slates. Thus, as they develop, their behaviors and speech also develops, depending on their environment. So it is factual, that when they are young, they do not have a properly developed vocabulary, have a lower rate of speech motor control, and have poorer sentence structure and grammar. All these factors play a part in the language difference between, say, a five year old child and a 20 year old adult. Experiment: Speaking to 6 year-old children. Results: Initially it was difficult to get them started to speak to me, as they can prove quite shy. This may be because of their lack of language, ensuing in their lack of confidence. This however varies from child to child. When we did start speaking though, I found myself automatically speaking at a level which they’d understand. I noticed that even though they may have a lot to say about something, they find it hard to express their ideas and communicate with others. I also observed the limited vocabulary used and the occasional stuttering and stumbling with words. Experiment: Speaking to Adults. Results: They tended to be easier to talk to. I noticed that once they began talking and had a clear idea of what they were talking about the words began to flow. Most were quite articulate and used a range of vocabulary. The speech-tempo was also at a steady yet quick pace as well. It was clear that they had more set and direct ideas that they understood more about what they were saying than children did. Therefore, these are the main differences of language between ages. It is proven that as age develops, so do speech qualities.