Linguistic Development Research Paper Page 12
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374 WHAT IS IT THAT DEVELOPS?
12
Little is yet known about how the brain is able to encode grammatical structure within the brain.
It has been found though that it encodes sentences as clauses.
The clause has emerged as a unit of speech which is more readily identified than any
other as being phonologically ‘shaped’ by such features as pause and intonation (speech
melody). We are much more likely to pause between clauses than within them, for in-
stance.
[Cry80]
Other indications confirm this. For instance spoonerisms never occur across clause boundaries.
The structure of the brain is involved in the process of language development in other ways than by
learning alone. The language development process is determined by what the brain cannot learn. In
the early stages of language development the child is still growing nerve cells and the brain is also
still wiring itself up. As David Crystal says:
Moreover, nerves develop their myelin sheaths (or become ‘myelinated’) at different
periods of human development. All fibres are unmyelinated to begin with; the process of
myelination continues until well after birth, and proves to be an important factor in the
extent to which the nervous system is capable of transmitting efficiently several of the
more complex voluntary movements. For example, it is possible that the relatively late
appearance of certain types of sound in speech production (high frequency sounds such as
/s/) may be due to the degree of myelination of the auditory nerve and the cortical areas
to which it connects.
[Cry80]
4.1.2
Neurological Encoding
There are many things which a child must learn if they are to produce speech effectively. It is not
enough for the child to just know grammar, and morphology. A complete control over the speech
organs is also required. The organs used in speech are:
Tongue
Pharynx
Epiglottis
Vocal Chords
Larynx
Trachea
Clavicle
Sternum
Lungs
Thoracic Cavity
Diaphragm
Nasal Cavity
Hard and Soft Palate
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