TY - JOUR
T1 - Optimal input for language development
T2 - Tailor nurture to nature
AU - He, Angela Xiaoxue
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2022/1
Y1 - 2022/1
N2 - In acquiring a native language, the input children receive, to an unneglectable extent, shapes the rate of acquisition and the ultimate achievement. This in turn has cascading effects on many aspects of later development, including but not limited to language. Providing optimal input for early language development, therefore, is of major interest to scientists, parents, and educators. This thought paper highlights two less-discussed factors in the formula of optimal input—the balance between input quantity and quality, and the timing of input provision. Correspondingly, two points are made: first, given significant limitations in processing abilities in early development, increased quality is sometimes achieved via decreased quantity; second, endowed with a sleep-mediated memory consolidation system, input provision should consider “sleep” as a reference point in timing. Both points boil down to a central theme that nurture (i.e., input) should be tailored to suit nature; in particular, optimal input should take best advantage of the endowments provided by our nature (e.g., sleep to consolidate memory) and to circumvent the limitations set by nature (e.g., processing limitations).
AB - In acquiring a native language, the input children receive, to an unneglectable extent, shapes the rate of acquisition and the ultimate achievement. This in turn has cascading effects on many aspects of later development, including but not limited to language. Providing optimal input for early language development, therefore, is of major interest to scientists, parents, and educators. This thought paper highlights two less-discussed factors in the formula of optimal input—the balance between input quantity and quality, and the timing of input provision. Correspondingly, two points are made: first, given significant limitations in processing abilities in early development, increased quality is sometimes achieved via decreased quantity; second, endowed with a sleep-mediated memory consolidation system, input provision should consider “sleep” as a reference point in timing. Both points boil down to a central theme that nurture (i.e., input) should be tailored to suit nature; in particular, optimal input should take best advantage of the endowments provided by our nature (e.g., sleep to consolidate memory) and to circumvent the limitations set by nature (e.g., processing limitations).
KW - child language acquisition
KW - language input
KW - language processing
KW - myelination
KW - nature and nurture
KW - sleep and memory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85114325338&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/icd.2269
DO - 10.1002/icd.2269
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85114325338
SN - 1522-7227
VL - 31
JO - Infant and Child Development
JF - Infant and Child Development
IS - 1
M1 - e2269
ER -