Subject: learning through language in early childhood

painter , clare ( university of new south wales ) ; learning through language in early childhood ; published by cassell as part of the open linguistics series ; hb . : 0 304 70056 8 ; us $ 69 . 95 / 45 . 00 language is a child 's major tool for learning about the world . through the everyday , taken-for - granted interactions of everyday conversation , a child not only learns the mother tongue , but uses it as a resource for thinking and reasoning . this book presents a rich naturalistic case study of one childs use of language in the pre-school years from two-and - a-half to five , drawing on systemic functional theory to argue that cognitive development is essentially a linguistic process and offering a new description and interpretation of linguistic and cognitive developments during this period . the case study examines the child 's changing language in terms of its role in interpreting four key domains of experience - - the world of things , the world of events , the world of semiosis ( including the inner world of cognition ) and the construal of cause and effect . it shows how new linguistic possibilities constitute developments in cognitive resources and prepare the child for later learning in school . available for review . email : sales @ cassellexport . demon . co . uk
