I

A LANGUAGE ANALYSIS PROJECT OF THE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT OF A

FIVE YEARS OLD GIRL

A Language Analysis Project

Presented to
The Department of Teacher Education and Technology
University of Southeastern University
Tagum Campus

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Course
Principles and Theories of Language Acquisition/Learning
EL 216

BUANJUG, PRENCESS
MANONDO, FREDLYN KATE
MIRAFUENTES, MISSY
MUNDIT, ANTONNETE
NAVARRO, CLARICE JANE
NIALA, NICOLE

January 2022
 II

Informed Consent Form

Please read this form carefully. After you read the form and have asked any
questions, decide if you want your child to participate in this project. If you do, please sign
and date the form at the bottom.

The purpose of this project is to give students enrolled in EL 216 (PRINCIPLES

AND THEORIES OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND LEARNING) of the University of
Southeastern Philippines Tagum-Mabini Campus the opportunity to observe child speech
in natural setting. Students in this course will spend the semester examining patterns of
child language acquisition and learning, and for their project they are required to observe
an early language learner in a naturalistic context.

As part of their project your child will be observed and videotaped for at least thirty
(30) minutes. This observation period will be the full extent of your child’s participation in
this project under BSED ENGLISH 2SE. Your child will not be identified by name or will
be given a false name and the recording will not be distributed outside of the class but for
the sole academic purpose only. Your child’s participation will be kept confidential.

If you have any questions about the project, please feel free to contact the faculty
handling this course. You will receive also a copy of this form so that you will have this
information.

Donna G. Magallanes
09477120171
Faculty, College of Teacher Education and Technology
University of Southeastern Philippines Tagum-Mabini Campus, Tagum Unit
Apokon, Tagum City

Your child’s participation in this project is voluntary: you can choose to participate
or you can choose not to participate. The choice depends on you.

Dear Ms. Magallanes,

I have read this form, and I understand it. I agree to allow my child Natasha Niala to
participate in this project under the supervision of Prencess Buanjug, Fredlyn Kate
Manondo, Missy Mirafuentes, Antonnete Mundit, Clarice Jane Navarro, and Nicole Niala,
being the researchers.
This is also to inform you that I have received a copy of this form.
NELLA M. NIALA
Signature over Printed Name of Parent/Guardian

Date: December 10, 2021

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in

yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are

possible for those who believe.” – Gail Devers

First of all, we are thankful to Almighty God who made us able and gave us the

opportunity to do this thesis. Without his numerous blessings it would not have been

possible.

To the people and institutions who were always willing to support and assist us. This

qualitative study could have failed if it hadn't been for them.

Mrs. Donna Magallanes, our subject teacher for being so supportive and

understanding;

To the participant of this study and her parents, for being approachable, cooperative,

and for spending their time in answering the question provided

We would also like to thank our friends who supported and motivated us and stood

beside us throughout our language analysis project.

Last but not least we would like to praise our parents and family members, for their

unending financial, emotional, moral and spiritual support.

Indeed, to God be the Glory!

Prencess, Fredlyn, Missy, Antonette, Clarice, Nicole

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DEDICATION

Every challenging work needs self-efforts as well as guidance of elders

especially those who were very close to our heart.

To the parents of the participant, who spread a little time and efforts in

allowing us to observe their child.

To our families, who have supported us not only financially, but also morally

and physically throughout this venture's success. Furthermore, we thank our

friends, classmates, and loved ones for their support and suggestions.

Thank you to our subject teacher for giving it her all in leading and teaching us

to finish this project and make our trip memorable

And to our Alma Mater

University of Southeastern Philippines Tagum Campus

Our second home for providing us with lifetime learning opportunities and

helping us realize our aspirations.

We also express our gratitude to Almighty God for bestowing upon us the

power, strength, guidance, and wisdom necessary to produce this project’s

product.

Thank you very much!

Prencess, Fredlyn, Missy, Antonette, Clarice, Nicole

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ABSTRACT

Children are programmed to develop speech and language skills from

birth. Language development must be stimulated during the first five years of

life because the brain is developing new nerve cells as well as multiple

connections between these cells to serve the function of expressive and

receptive language. This case study main aim of the project is to present an

analysis of the language development of a child along with all the underpinning

factors that influence language development. Specifically, it sought to evaluate

development of the specific linguistic systems such as the phonological,

morpho-syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic development. The subject is a 5-

year-old girl living in Magugpo East, Tagum City and is currently in Kinder 1.

This study is a non-participant observation that is analyzed through the coding

process in inductive analysis suggested by Creswell (2006), and through the

analyst and theory/perspective triangulation. The use of Miller’s Mean length of

utterance by age was also utilized in order to measure whether the subject’s

morpho-syntactic ability is appropriate to their age. The results of the

investigation showed that there are various factors that affect the language

development of a child in terms of a child’s phonological, morphological,

syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic development. Moreover, it showed how a

child learns to improve his/her language.

Keywords: language development, language analysis, phonological,

pragmatic, semantic, morpho-syntactic, child

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE I

INFORMED CONSENT FORM II

ACKNOWLEDGMENT III

DEDICATION IV

ABSTRACT V

TABLE OF CONTENTS VI

CHAPTER

1 INTRODUCTION 1

Rationale 1

Review of Related Studies 3

Statement of the Problem 17

Conceptual Framework 18

Theoretical Framework 20

2 METHODOLOGY 23

Research Method 23

Profile of the Subject 23

Data Gathering Procedure 24

Data Analysis 25
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4 PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND

INTERPRETATION OF DATA 27

5 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATIONS 38

REFERENCES 41

APPENDICES 43

CURRICULUM VITAE 44
 1

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching children to

communicate. Every child has its own unique ways in learning a language.

Language acquisition occurs as a result of the social interactions that a child

has with the individuals in his or her environment. These encounters teach the

child not only the words and structure of their language, but also how to

communicate with others. It is the speech they hear – especially when parents

identify and/or talk about items and events that the infant is fascinated in – that

aids the child's vocabulary development, as well as their understanding and use

of language.

Language development occurs throughout early life and into

adolescence, although it is particularly crucial during the first five years. The

brain develops new nerve cells and many connections between these cells to

serve the function of expressive and receptive language during the first five

years, therefore stimulation of language development is critical. Due to a lack

of stimulation during this period, a child's progress may be slowed or they may

develop poor communication skills. In assessing the language development of

a child, the phonological, morphological and lexical development must be

considered. According to research, phonological awareness, which

necessitates conscious reflection on and explicit manipulation of the constituent

speech sounds of language, is a key prerequisite for the acquisition of the

alphabetic principle (Byrne, 1996) and a key skill for mastering decoding

(National Reading Panel, 2000; Lonigan et al., 2009). Morphological

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development is a means of composing and decomposing associative

morphemes it can be analyzed through computing a child's Mean Length of

Utterance (MLU). While the study of changes in word recognition during

childhood is referred to as lexical development. It is concerned with children's

early steps in developing a vocabulary, how children of various ages assign

meanings to words, and how these meanings evolve as a result of diverse

experiences.

The digital age is drastically altering our children's lives and childhoods.

People's interactions with one another, the way stories are shared and

dispersed, and the way reality is portrayed and understood are all being

transformed by new technology. According to a recent survey of preschoolers

in the United Kingdom, an increasing percentage of toddlers are now put to bed

with a tablet rather than a bedtime story. A telephone survey of 1,009 parents

of children aged 2 to 24 months was conducted in the United States documents

that by 3 months of age, about 40% of children regularly watched television,

DVDs or videos, while by 24 months the proportion rose to 90% (Zimmerman

et al., 2007a). Linguistic acquisition theories highlight the importance of

language input and the child's interaction with the environment in language

development.

Another study conducted by Marzan (2014) on progression of early

language learning among bilingual Filipino toddlers it reveals that children's

interactions at home play a role in their early language development. Because

Filipino households are typically large, a child at home may have many

caretakers, implying that the youngster is exposed to a wide range of

languages. Findings also shows that learning a language is a process of

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developing several sub-skills, and children do not learn to talk all at once. These

talents appear to be both universally learnt by children all around the world and

particularly culture- and language-specific, despite their similarities.

As observed by the researchers, particularly in some local

preschools in Tagum such as Magugo Poblacion Day Care Center and the

preschool department of Don Ricardo Briz Central Elementary School, children

nowadays are increasingly immersed to technology. Children imitate and use

the language they hear on YouTube or in other internet videos they watch.

There are also changes in their pronunciation and accent. On the other hand,

children who are not exposed to technology are matured in their ability to talk.

Therefore, a child's environment has a significant impact on their language

development.

The researchers have not found any studies related to the development

of a- years old child about his/her language including the particularities in pho

There has been minimal research on first or second language learning in the

Philippines, which makes it a good setting for language acquisition studies.

Therefore, in this paper it aims to present an analysis of the language

development of a child aged 4-7 years old. This is also to provide overview of

how a child acquires language, including all of the underlying factors that can

influence his/her development. It can be analyzed through its phonological,

morphological and lexical development.

Review of Related Literature

Language Development in Early Childhood

According to Gillis, Faes, & Vanormelingen (2020), the lowSES children

reach the babbling onset milestone significantly later than mhSES children. In
 4

addition, they use different consonant types in their cv-syllables: they use more

glides, but fewer stops, nasals, fricatives, and liquids. These early differences

between children of different backgrounds seem to be in line with the literature

on SES differences later on in life. Their study analyzes prelexical speech

development in young children with a different socio-economic status (SES):

children from low SES backgrounds (lowSES) are compared with mid-to-high

SES (mhSES) children. Timing of the onset of babbling and the consonantal

development in consonant-vowel (cv) syllables are investigated.

Moreover, Vlaskamp, Houwen, Visser, & Putten’s (2016) research about

the interrelationships between motor, cognitive, and language development in

children with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities revealed

the importance of early interventions that boost both motor and cognitive

development, and suggest that such interventions will also enhance language

development. The researchers examined the interrelationships between motor,

cognitive, and language development in children with intellectual and

developmental disabilities (IDD) and compared them to those in children

without IDD. In addition, we investigated whether these relationships differ

between children with different levels of cognitive delay. Seventy-seven

children with IDD (calendar age between 1;0 and 9;10 years; mean

developmental age: 1;8 years) and 130 typically developing children (calendar

age between 0;3 and 3;6 years; mean developmental age: 1;10 years) were

tested with the Dutch Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third

Edition, which assesses development across three domains using five

subscales: fine motor development, gross motor development (motor),

cognition (cognitive), receptive communication, and expressive communication

 5

(language). Thus, results showed that correlations between the motor,

cognitive, and language domains were strong, namely .61 to .94 in children with

IDD and weak to strong, namely .24 to .56 in children without IDD. Furthermore,

the correlations showed a tendency to increase with the severity of IDD. It can

be concluded that both fine and gross motor development are more strongly

associated with cognition, and consequently language, in children with IDD than

in children without IDD.

Phonological Development in Early Childhood

The study of Yu (2017) showed that verbal didactic approaches such as

cognitive narrative, cognitive dialogue, story-riddle, and reading of works of art

are effective in developing the communicative function of toddlers' speech. A

well-thought-out method selection is linked with phonetic and intonation

techniques. Also, that there are limitations on phonetic ability of the children, as

well as a variety of natural phonological procedures to overcome them. He

claimed that the exposure to the surrounding language suppresses these

processes over time.

Moreover, according to Ruz et. al. (2019) that starting learning activities

before the age of three was crucial. He added that major results are that motor

and expressive activities can be an effective incentive resource for increasing

children's linguistic ability. Because of increased brain plasticity, it was

discovered that this leads to improved cognitive development.

However, according to Menn and Gammon (2017) that most cultures

have a speech register known as "babytalk," which comprises unique terms for

concepts encountered by tiny children on a regular basis (family members,

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food, personal hygiene, familiar animals). Certain phonological patterns (in

English, the use of alveolars for beginning velars) and maybe morphological

regularizations (e.g. "corned, goed") also differentiate it. Children are taught the

lexical elements, and the babytalk register is widely regarded as "how children

speak” and it somehow affects the children’s phonological development.

On the other hand, according to the study of Velleman and Vihman

(2019) that the phonologization of human language processing limits, implicitly

learned patterns and connections abstracted via the course (procedural)

memory system, and unique child reactions to experience all contribute to these

constraints. Children whose abstract generalizations are based on few

exemplars and whose cognitive processing systems are not yet finely tuned are

likely to respond to phonological problems with less fine-grained responses,

such as consonant harmony and metathesis. Grammar-external elements such

as sociolinguistic variables impact the limitations in their application to certain

words or circumstances in both adults and children. As a result, the distinctions

between grammar and an associative cognitive system are blurred. This is a

desired outcome since it indicates a rise in psycholinguistic reality as well as a

greater understanding of known brain structures and processes.

As language development progresses through the early years of

schooling, children become aware of the sound and meaning components of

words. Precursors of phonological awareness can be seen in aspects of sound

play, rhyme and alliteration, and there is evidence that this skill is a strong

predictor of reading development (Melby-Lervåg, Lyster, & Hulme, 2012).

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Morphological Development in Early Childhood

According to the study of Tolkova et al (2021) that preschool children's

morphological development is crucial. The study confirmed the usefulness of

cognitive activity classes in the development of communication skills in

preschool children. It is critical to recognize the direction in which preschool

children's communication abilities develop through the use of cognitive activity.

However, according to Tomasella (2013) that children learn grammar in

extensive investigations with particular linguistic objects and structures in a

significant number of languages to evaluate the learning mechanisms.

Moreover, Morris (2019) added that individual variations may influence

how quickly children can recognize these patterns based on language

experience and apply sublexical morphemic elements in visual word

identification.

On the other hand, according to Zhang and Koda (2012), claimed that

through the mediation of children's lexical inferencing ability, morphological

awareness contributes to vocabulary knowledge both directly and indirectly.

Both through the mediation of lexical inferencing ability and vocabulary

knowledge, the indirect influence of morphological awareness on reading

comprehension is strong.

Additionally, Deacon, Kieffer, & Laroche, (2014) suggests that

morphological awareness is thought to play a significant role in the

development of reading comprehension, as measured by the ability to identify

and understand how prefixes and suffixes change word meanings and how
 8

words can be combined to form compound words. There is evidence that

training such skills benefits reading comprehension.

By the same token, according to Fasolo, et. al. (2011) that the usage of

morphology becomes more widespread only as the number of verbs children

know grows, indicating a generalization process. Similarly, youngsters were

productive with some inflections, but this outcome was also connected to the

number of verbs they knew. They also stated that the youngsters eventually

learnt specific morphological forms for certain verbs, and that they were only

able to generalize their information at the conclusion of this process.

Furthermore, Levesque, Kieffer, and Deacon (2017) stated that between

morphological awareness and reading comprehension, there are both direct

and indirect links. Morphological awareness helps with morphological

decoding, which affects word reading and understanding. The acquisition of

new vocabulary may be hampered by a lack of morphological awareness. While

reading, morphological awareness can assist students in deciphering the

meaning of new and morphologically complicated words.

Syntactic Development in Early Childhood

In the study of Kalinina (2019) the results revealed that children created

more subjects with intransitive verbs than transitive verbs. When children's

language abilities are restricted, they prefer to utilize subjects with intransitive

verbs over transitive verbs. It indicated that in early childhood, children are

unable to distinguish between the characteristics of the various verbs they

produced, but given the small number of utterances examined in some cases.
 9

Moreover, Berman (2019) considered both solitary utterances and

prolonged discourse, conversational exchanges and syntactic text building, and

both written and spoken language usage from early school-age through

adolescence, including ideas from past language acquisition studies

demonstrate how cognitive and social maturation combine with increased

literacy in the development of a growing repertoire of lexical elements in a

variety of morpho-syntactic constructions and discourse contexts, which is the

hallmark of maturely proficient language use in early childhood.

Furthermore, Lieven, (2011) stated that children's hypotheses are

guided by their abstract understanding of language when they engage with the

language input in their environment, guaranteeing that they move toward adult

grammar. A different school of thinking rejects the existence of a separate

language component, claiming that syntax is learnt exclusively through

encounters with native speakers. Language learning, according to such 'usage-

based' linguistic theories, uses the same learning mechanisms as other

cognitive systems. Children's initial products are viewed as rote-learned

sentences with no internal structure in usage-based models of language

development. Knowledge of language structure develops gradually and

piecemeal, with frequency influencing the order in which distinct syntactic

patterns arise.

Early Childhood Semantic Acquisition

According to Unger, Savic, and Sloutsky (2020), investigated how

associations in the form of statistical regularities with which labels for concepts

co-occur in language (e.g., sock and foot) and taxonomic relatedness (e.g.,
 10

sock and pajamas) shape semantic organization of 4–5-year-olds and adults.

To examine these aspects of semantic organization across development, the

researchers conducted three experiments examining effects of co-occurrence

and taxonomic relatedness on cued recall (Experiment 1), word-picture

matching (Experiment 2), and looking dynamics in a Visual World paradigm

(Experiment 3). Taken together, the results of the three experiments provide

evidence that co-occurrence-based links between concepts manifest in

semantic organization from early childhood onward, and are increasingly

supplemented by taxonomic links.

Moreover, a study by De Anda (2017) children begin building a lexicon

quite early, with some recent research suggesting that infants as young as 6

months can understand the meanings of common nouns. By 12 months,

children produce their first word and by 24 months begin combining words to

form two-word utterances. Further, between first words and the onset of word

combinations, the learning of new words occurs at an accelerated rate. Given

that children learn words so early and at such a remarkable rate, an important

new direction in research on early language examines how young children

organize lexical information. One candidate model for children’s early lexical

organization is the emergence of lexical-semantic networks. According to this

model, young children are sensitive to the semantic relatedness between words

and use this information to “cluster” words together. These lexical islands of

clustered words are thought to resemble categories, such that children link

words that overlap in meaning. For example, banana, apple, and orange may

all cluster together roughly represent a food category. Indeed, as we review

below, there is evidence from a variety of previous studies that supports the
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notion that young children are sensitive to the semantic relatedness between

words (McMurray, Horst, & Samuelson, 2012).

Furthermore, Unger et.al (2020) investigated how these organized

semantic networks may emerge in development from simple but powerful

mechanisms sensitive to statistical cooccurrence regularities of word use in

language. Specifically, the researchers tested whether a mechanistic account

of how co-occurrence regularities shape semantic development accurately

predicts how semantic organization changes with development. Using a

sensitive, gaze-based measure of the semantic links organizing knowledge in

children and adults, the researchers observed that developmental changes in

semantic organization were consistent with a key role for statistical co-

occurrence regularities. Thus, the experiment provides evidence supporting the

possibility that this organization emerges in part from the operation of simple

but powerful learning mechanisms that form semantic links from statistical

regularities in language.

By the same token, the results of the study conducted by Mathur,

Schultz, & Wang (2019) suggests that the left lateralization of fronto-temporal

regions for phonological processing and bilateral activations of parietal regions

for semantic processing during early childhood. The researchers’ findings

indicate that the neural bases of reading have already begun to be shaped in

early childhood for typically developing children, which can be used as a control

baseline for comparison of children at-risk for reading difficulties. According to

the researchers During the early period of reading development, children gain

phonological (letter-to-sound mapping) and semantic knowledge (storage and

retrieval of word meaning). Their reading ability changes rapidly, accompanied

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by their learning-induced brain plasticity as they learn to read. Nineteen typically

developing children between the age of five to seven performed visual word-

level phonological (rhyming) and semantic (related meaning) judgment tasks

during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. The researchers’

multivariate analysis showed that young children with good reading ability have

already recruited the left hemispheric regions in the brain for phonological

processing, including the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), superior and middle

temporal gyrus, and fusiform gyrus. Additionally, the researchers’ multivariate

results suggested that the sub-regions of the left IFG were specialized for

different tasks.

In Addition, Idrees (2020), investigated that lexical-presupposition

triggers the acquisition of syntactic and semantic knowledge in early childhood.

The researcher utilized Brown corpus to achieve her aims in the study. Out of

three children Adam, Sara and Eve, Adam’s speech is analysed for the

presence of lexical presupposition triggers. Again, a lexical presupposition

trigger occurred 189 times in Adam’s speech. The methodology involved two

phases. In the first phase, the researcher sifted each utterance carrying again

according to age, context, and the status of the utterance. The next phase

involves analysis of the instances collected. Examples are analysed in terms of

mere repetitions, frequent use and acquiring a sensible usage of the lexical

trigger again. A comparison tool was used to analyse the examples further

making clear distinction between the phenomenon of assertion and

presupposition. The results show that the phenomenon of presupposition is

acquired by the age of three and half years. By year four, Adam starts acquiring

different syntactic structures involving the usage of the lexical trigger again and
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shows sensible usage by age five. The acquisitional challenge is the age and

lack of interaction with the outer environment.

Along with that, Nikolaus & Fourtassi (2021) highlights in their

investigation the value of low-level co-occurrence statistics across modalities in

enabling the early acquisition of higher-level semantic knowledge. Children

learn the meanings of words and phrases from extremely ambiguous material

without much explicit supervision when learning their native language. Cross-

situational learning is one putative learning mechanism that has been

effectively explored in laboratory tests with youngsters. Using a huge dataset

of crowd-sourced photos with matching descriptions, the researchers employed

Artificial Neural Networks to see if this method scales up to more natural

language and visual scenarios. Researchers assessed learning using a set of

activities based on approaches typically employed in language acquisition

laboratory investigations. The researchers show that the model develops rich

semantic knowledge at both the word and sentence level, mimicking early

childhood learning patterns and trajectory.

Meanwhile, with regards to semantic and children with language

disabilities, according to Marting & Schnur (2019), individuals with left

hemisphere stroke often have language deficits which impair their ability to

produce phrases and sentences. One possible source of these speech

impairments is the disruption of verbal working memory (WM). Single-case

studies of chronic stroke have suggested the existence of a WM capacity

specific to maintaining semantic information that is critical for preparing multiple

words in phrases prior to speech onset. The study tested the hypothesis by

examining spontaneous narrative language production and working memory

 14

capacities in a large sample of individuals at the acute stage of stroke (N = 36),

prior to the reorganization of function or strategy development. The researchers

showed using a multiple regression approach that individuals’ semantic but not

phonological WM capacity had an independent contribution in predicting

phrasal elaboration and increasing utterance length whereas individuals’

phonological but not semantic WM capacity had an independent contribution in

predicting a more rapid speech rate. Importantly, neither WM capacity

independently predicted grammatical abilities in speech, implying that the other

relations did not result from overall severity. These results indicate that

separable semantic and phonological WM components exist that support

different aspects of narrative speech. The study examines spontaneous speech

in a large group of acute stroke patients demonstrating a critical relationship

between working memory and the ability to produce more words in phrases and

longer utterances.

Language Development and the Pragmatic Level of Children Ages 4-7

A study conducted by Jayanti (2019), that focuses on the phonological

analysis of sound and pronunciation in a pragmatic perspective of children aged

2-4 years showed that there was a relationship between the ability of sound

produced by children and pragmatic rules according to their age. In the

acquisition of languages and stages of linguistic processes with almost the

same age there are also differences between children with each other. The

focus of research is all sounds or sounds that are spoken or produced by the

child in a pragmatic view, namely when communicating. Sub focus in research

is the sound and pronunciation of children according to the theory of Susan M.

Gass and Larry Se, at the initial stage the pronunciation of children is not the
 15

same as the pronunciation of adults. Some sounds can be distinguished at first

such as: the difference between consonants in [ta] and [da]. Even when children

start using words that more or less resemble adult words, at least in a sense,

there are different pronunciations, namely deletion of syllables

(em..bek→goat), elimination of sound (japah→jerapah→giraffe), and

simplification process words (fis→fish).

In addition, Ozturk & Papafragou (2015), investigated the acquisition of

epistemic modality from semantic meaning to pragmatic interpretation. Three

experiments were conducted, Experiment 1 revealed that infants between the

ages of four and five have learned fundamental components of epistemic modal

semantics but struggle with epistemic possibility contexts. Experiment 2

revealed that in contrastive circumstances, 4–5-year-olds prefer stronger/more

informative modal statements over weaker modal statements if the stronger

claims are warranted by the evidence. Experiment 3 further showed that

children this age can deduce pragmatic conclusions from the use of weak

epistemic modal verbs in settings when no overt pragmatic judgements are

made. These findings, conglomerated, shed light on epistemic modality

acquisition and have consequences for the development of the semantics-

pragmatics interface.

Furthermore, according to Ekawati’s (2014) investigation, children

acquire this competence through people surounding them. They acquire it in

some stages. Firstly, they learn hor to understand and make inference in daily

conversation. Then they learn how to perform an act via utterances. The last is

they learn how to say something politely. This competence becomes improved

as children get older. The researcher’s study revealed that pragmatic

 16

competence involves illocutionary competence and sociolinguistic competence.

Knowing how to use a language properly, both in terms of grammatical and

lexical features as well as the other social components that underpin the use of

the language, is referred to as language competence. Pragmatic competence

encompasses the social components that speakers of a language must

possess.

Meanwhile, the study of Deshpande et.al (2021) about the pragmatic

abilities that involves children with severe to profound hearing loss showed that

hearing loss or deafness in early childhood and the pre-school years are often

associated with a higher risk of social development delay, and children with a

hearing impairment may fall behind their peers with typical hearing in social

communication. Children's pragmatic development includes the acquisition of

communicative competence, which is learning how to use language to

communicate and comprehend people in a variety of social circumstances. As

a result, the development of pragmatics becomes extremely crucial, as it is the

foundation from which children's structural components of language emerge.

The structural language serves no function unless proper communication

behaviors are developed. Pragmatic language impairment can be a disorder in

and of itself, but it is more often a symptom of other language disorders. Autism

spectrum condition, Down syndrome, specific language impairment, attention

deficit hyperactivity disorder, and hearing loss are all linked to it.

Along with that study is the investigation of Morgenstern, Collombel &

Caet (2013) about the intersection of pragmatic abilities and language

acquisition of children-adult interaction showed that the construction of

children's verbal productions is woven into dialogue thanks to the mother's

 17

scaffolding. The mother initially makes other-repairs, and then moves to eliciting

repairs from the child. The child gradually makes more and more self-repairs,

with no adult intervention. Both conversational partners therefore play their part

according to the cognitive, linguistic and social-relational skills that the child

develops over time. The researchers genuinely highlighted the mother's

evolving expectations for Madeleine's language abilities: the mother wants to

urge her kid to be more exact at first on a phonological level, then on a

morphosyntactic level, and lastly on a semantic and pragmatic one. If

sufficiency and accuracy are significant in the dyad created by Madeleine and

her mother, what appears to matter most in the dyad formed by Madeleine (the

child) and her mother is the conversation's effectiveness The majority of the

child's creations are mended in order to improve comprehension between the

two conversational partners. Children create transitory systems (Cohen, 1924),

which include 'errors' or inconsistencies when contrasted to adult systems. It

takes time for them to learn all of the necessary traditional forms. However, by

being exposed to adults on a regular basis, as a result of this input, their

language gradually grows, becomes enriched, and becomes increasingly

similar to the model they hear. As toddlers internalize this paradigm, they grow

increasingly capable of doing self-repairs, resulting in new areas of language

elaboration and learning.

Statement of the Problem

The main aim of the project is to present an analysis of the language

development of a child along with all the underpinning factors that influence

language development. Specifically, it sought to evaluate development of the

specific linguistic systems:

 18

1. Phonological Development: What sounds does the subject use in

his/her speech?

2. Morpho-syntactic Development: What is the mean length of

utterance of the child, is the child’s MLU normal for his/her age?

3. Semantic Development: How does the child perceive the

meaning of the utterances and how can it affect to his/her

speaking capability?

4. Pragmatic Development: How developed is the language of the

child in a social setting and is she sociologically competent?

Conceptual Framework

The study derived its own concept; Figure 1 below shows the schematic

diagram of the study which is composed of the demographic characteristics of

the child as the independent variables identified are Age, Sex, and Guardian;

the mediating variables will be the behavior of the child in terms of:

inside/outside the house, playing, talking to others, and studying; while the

dependent variable will be the output of the study.

 19

Behavior of the child in

Demographic profile of terms of
the child
1. Inside/outside Action Plan
1. Age; the house
2. Sex; and 2. Playing
3. Guardian 3. Talking o others;
and
4. Studying

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Study

 20

Theoretical Framework

Social Interactionist Theory or Sociocultural Theory by Lev Vygotsky

(1934)

The main theory of this study is the social interactionist theory of Lev

Vygotsky. This theory's central idea is that language has a social genesis. It

shares some parallels with Everett's model in this area - language scratches

the communicative itch. This theory proposes that a child is constantly engaged

in social interactions from birth, allowing him to acquire higher cognitive skills

like as language and thought. Sociocultural interactions come first, followed by

cognitive and language development, according to Vygotsky's social

development paradigm. It also highlights the zone of proximal development

(ZPD). The ZPD is a level of development obtained when children engage in

social interactions with others; it is the distance between a child’s potential to

learn and the actual learning that takes place.

Furthermore, in this investigation, the researchers will observe if social agents

will have a contribution in the development of language by the child. Vygotsky's

theory focuses on culture, language, and internalization, is undoubtedly the

most comprehensive, original, and cogent view now available. Children's

cognitive development is influenced by culture in two ways, according to

Vygotsky's theory. To begin with, children receive the majority of their

information (thought contents) through culture. Additionally, culture not only

teaches youngsters what to think, but also how to think. Problem-solving

experiences are shared with parents, instructors, siblings, peers, and others in

a dialectical process that leads to intellectual growth. Children can handle

 21

certain problems on their own, but more difficult difficulties necessitate the

assistance of social agents.

Behaviorist Theory by Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1937)

The second theory of this study is B.F Skinner’s Behaviorist Theory, this

is one of the theories of language development which defines that language

development is a learned behavior. When babies first begin to speak, they are

attempting to replicate the actions of their parents and other adults in their

environment. According to Cullata & Kearsley (2021), changes in behavior are

the outcome of an individual's reaction to environmental events (stimuli). A

reaction results in a consequence, such as the definition of a word, the hitting

of a ball, or the solution of a math problem. The individual is conditioned to

respond when a specific Stimulus-Response (S-R) pattern is reinforced

(rewarded), operant conditioning model under this theory distinguishes itself by

allowing the organism to emit responses rather than just evoking them in

response to an external stimulus. According to Skinner, a kid imitates the

language of its parents or caregivers. Successful attempts are rewarded

because an adult who recognizes a child's word will praise the kid and/or give

it what it requests. On the other hand, punishments or consequences are given

if the child does not meet the desired outcome.

In this study, this theory will be used to observed if the giving rewards

and consequences help the child develop her language, specifically her

speaking ability, whether there will be a positive or negative reinforcement with

the child.
 22

Social Learning Theory by Albert Bandura (1977)

The third theory anchored to this study is the social learning theory by

Bandura (1977). This theory emphasizes the necessity of observing, modeling,

and mimicking others' behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions.

Environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence human learning and

behavior, according to social learning theory. It agrees with the operant and

classical conditioning, however, Bandura (1977) adds two important ideas, first

is that mediating processes occur between stimuli & responses and the second

is that behavior is learned from the environment through the process of

observational learning wherein children observe the people around them and

imitate them.

In this study, social learning theory will be used to observe whether the

child will be able to imitate the social models around her and see if it will help

in her language development.

 23

CHAPTER 2

METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes our research methodology in detail that we will

be going to use in the study. It presents the research design, profile of the

subject, data gathering procedure, and data analysis.

Research Method

In this case study, the researchers will do an analysis of the language

development of a child along with all the underpinning factors that influence

language development, specifically, to evaluate development of the specific

linguistic systems; phonological development, morpho-syntactic development,

semantic, and pragmatic development.

A case study is a problem to be studied, which will reveal an in-depth

understanding of a “case” or bounded system, which involves understanding

an event, activity, process, or one or more individuals. It is the intensive study

of the language development of the child through direct observation (Creswell,

2002).

Non-Participant Observation (NPO) will be used as the research method

in this analysis. The researchers will systematically observe the utterances of

subject of the study when talking without interruption from the researchers. The

researchers will not take part in the environment under scrutiny. This method is

pure observation.

Profile of the Subject

In this language analysis project, our subject is taken from children in

ages 4 to 6 years old, male or female. This investigation will be a single-subject

case study, an in-depth description of the development of one child that is done
 24

through a digital/virtual observation (Kazdin, 1982). This study will be

dependent in the observations gathered and analyzed by the researchers from

the compiled video recordings of the subject.

The subject is a cheerful yet shy 5-year-old girl living in Magugpo East

and was born on September 20, 2016 and currently a Kinder One student at

Magugpo Poblacion Development Centre. Shammy (pseudonym), is the fourth

daughter among five siblings. Her father works as an all-around carpenter and

her mother is a housewife. The child is exposed in modern technology such as

smartphones and television, thus, being able to converse in three languages –

fluent Binisaya, and a bit of Tagalog and English.

Data Gathering Procedure

The following steps will be done in conducting of the Language Analysis

Project:

Seeking permission from parents to observe the subject. The group will

send an informed consent form to the parents seeking approval for their child

to be the subject of the language analysis project. The consent will give the

parents the assurance about ethical principles such as anonymity and

confidentiality of all gathered data (Barrot and Sipacio, 2012).

Gathering of Utterances. The group will personally administer the

observation of utterances on the identified subject through video recording.

Transcription and Analysis. The group will transcribe and analyze the

video recorded observation. The analysis will be based on the observation

where the researchers focus their attention on aspects related to phonology,

morphosyntax, semantics and pragmatics that will answer the research

questions: (a) What sounds does the subject use in his/her speech? (b) What
 25

is the mean length of utterance of the child, is the child’s MLU normal? (c) How

does the child perceive meaning of the utterances and the use of synonyms,

antonyms, and homonyms? (d) How developed is the sociological competence

of the child?

Data Analysis

This study will use the coding process on inductive analysis for

qualitative data by Creswell (2006). This approach offers a most convenient

and effective way in analyzing a qualitative data. Creswell (2007)

recommended five key steps to analyzing data: “Reading through written

transcripts, identifying significant phrases, formulating meaning and clustering

them into themes, integrating the results into an in-depth, exhaustive

description of the phenomenon and evaluating the findings”. In this study, we

will analyze the anticipated as well as the unexpected themes that will

materialize.

The researchers will first watch and listen to the videotape of the subject.

While watching, researchers will take note of the important details that they

have observed in the subject’s utterances. They will also transcribe the audio

of the video in order to analyze the utterances of the subject. Aside from the

coding process suggested by Creswell (2006), the researchers will also utilize

the analyst triangulation method and theoretical/perspective triangulation.

In qualitative research, triangulation refers to the use of various methods

or data sources to build a thorough understanding of phenomena (Patton,

1999). Analyst triangulation involves multiple researchers who will observe and

analyzed the acquired data, meanwhile, theory or perspective triangulation

involves the use of multiple professional perspectives to interpret a set of data

 26

or information. In this research, it will be based to the theories of Lev Vygotsky’s

Sociocultural Theory (1934), Behaviorist Theory of Burrhus Frederic Skinner

(1937) and Social Learning Theory by Albert Bandura (1977).

 27

Chapter 3

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presents the results from the observation of the video

record of the subject based on the statements of the problem formulated for this

study. The chapter accommodates the presentation, analysis, and the

interpretation of data which involves the table of translated utterances and

speeches with the steps in acquiring the emergent themes. We have used pure

observation of the video record of the subject while speaking as a primary

method in collecting data. By maintaining information, contacts, and procedures

we were able to provide enough description to enhance transferability of results.

With the following questions, data production from the observation of the

researchers to the subject were directed.

1. Phonological Development: What sounds does the subject use in

his/her speech?

2. Morpho-syntactic Development: What is the mean length of utterance

of the child, is the child’s MLU normal for his/her age?

3. Semantic Development: How does the child perceive the meaning of

the utterances and how can it affect to his/her speaking capability?

4. Pragmatic Development: How developed is the language of the child

in a social setting and is she sociologically competent?

This chapter discusses the categorization of data including data analysis

and steps on how the themes were formed from the observations of the
 28

researchers while watching the video recorded file. It also includes the

transcription, translation and audit trail codes.

STOP No. 1: Phonological Development: What sounds does the subject

use in his/her speech?

The following are the researchers’ observations in the video recorded

tape of the subject regarding the sounds she use while speaking.

Repetition

Repetition is highly valued by many language learners (and their

teachers), whether it is repeating vocabulary, grammar conjugations, sounds,

or phrases. Many people's thinking and actions are so established in this

technique that they find it difficult to imagine language learning without it

(Weiler, 2016). According to Montessori (1956), the tendency to repeat was

driven by nature and occurred spontaneously because of a powerful and

irresistible energy. Repeating other speakers' words, phrases, or sentences

completes a discourse, demonstrates response, acceptance, and engagement

to another utterance, and demonstrates one's own participation. (Tannen,

1989). In the case of Shammy, she tends to repeat words that are unfamiliar

for her and hard to pronounce. Moreover, she also repeats a word when she

is unable to speak or remember the next word she is going to say.

Shammy said:

“Ah sige sige… Once upon a time naa daw mananggal diraa sa boarding

house, pagkahuman daw ato gikaon daw si natnat, pagkahuman daw nila ato

wala nadaw sila pagkahuman ato kay kuan man…”

 29

Shammy: Ah okay okay.. once upon a time there was a self-segmenter

monster there in the boarding house, then after that Natnat was eaten, then

after that they were gone, then after that they are, they are..

Imitation

For Jean Aitchison (1989), forcing children to imitate is a dismal failure;

children cannot be trained like parrots. Children learn by imitation, but the

structural underpinnings for imitative movements must be congenital, according

to Trevarthen (1994). Some infants demonstrate extraordinary precision in

imitation from birth, but there are considerable individual variances. As a 5-

year-old child living in a lively environment exposed with modern technology,

she often imitates people’s actions and words, people that she saw on a video

in the phone, or songs that she heard from others. Through thorough listening

and sometimes by teachings of other children, she is able to imitate other

people.

Shammy sang:

Shammy: Kato nalang I let

Shammy: I- Kita duha

Shammy: Go…. I let my soul fall into you

I never grow what it is true

I fell for the love in it you say

Now I don't need your wings to fly

No, I don't need a hand to hold in mine nest time

You held me down, but I broke free

I found the love inside of me

 30

Now I don't need a hero to survive

'Cause I already saved my life.”

Shammy: That I let

Shammy: The two of us

Shammy: Go…. (sang along with sister) I let my soul fall into you

I never grow what it is true

I fell for the love in it you say

Now I don't need your wings to fly

No, I don't need a hand to hold in mine nest time

You held me down, but I broke free

I found the love inside of me

Now I don't need a hero to survive

'Cause I already saved my life.”

Five Short Vowel Sounds

The five short vowel sounds include short a, short e, short i, short o, and

short u. Shammy (pseudonym) is able to speak words in English with short

vowel sounds well, though she is still unfamiliar with some words in English,

with repetition and imitation, she could pronounce these words correctly.

Shammy said:

Girl: Oh pila imo edad?

Shammy: Five

Girl: Unsa man ang English sa ero?

Shammy: Dog

Girl: Unsa ang English sa cat? Ay (laughs) unsay English sa iring?

 31

Shammy: Cat

Girl: How old are you?

Shammy: Five

Girl: What is the English of dog(iro)?

Shammy: Dog

Girl: What is the English of cat? Ay (laughs) what is the English of cat(iring)?

Shammy: Cat

SOTP No. 2: Morpho-syntactic Development: What is the mean length of

utterance of the child, is the child’s MLU normal for his/her age?

After collecting, transcribing, and translating the utterances of Shammy

(pseudonym) from the video recorded tape, the researches then chose some

of the subject’s words to get the mean length of the subject’s utterance. The

researchers thirteen (13) fully formed sentences having a total of 68

morphemes. The researchers were able to get 5.23 as the result of using the

formula of Miller (1981) in computing the mean length of appearance which is

the total number of morphemes divided by the total number of utterances, the

researchers compared the result to Miller’s MLU by Age. According to Millers

Table of MLU by Age, the mean length of children aged 60 months old falls

between 5.02 and 5.63. Therefore, an MLU of 5.23 is expected in a child of

between 54 to 60 months of age, this suggests, that the subject’s expressive

language skills are developing along typical lines.

 32

Age Equivalent
MLU
(Within 1 month)

1.31 18

1.62 21

1.92 24

2.54 30

2.85 33

3.16 36

3.47 39

3.78 42

4.09 45

4.40 48

4.71 51

5.02 54

5.32 57

5.63 60

Table 2: Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) by Age (Miller, 1981)

 33

1. Ate manghiram ko kay aki bi

Ate mang- hiram ko kay Akki bi

7
1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2. Te pwede diay sa terminal?

Te pwede diay sa terminal?

5
1 1 1 1 1

3. Dili lagi ko ba!

Dili lagi ko ba!

4
1 1 1 1

4. Bakit mo inagaw ang asawa ko?

Bakit mo ina- agaw ang asawa ko?

7
1 1 1 1 1 1 1

5. Dili ko kabalo

Dili ko kabalo
3
1 1 1

6. Alangan si Jin, my favorite

Alangan si Jin my favorite

5
1 1 1 1 1

7. Mao mana akong paborito

 34

Mao man -a akong paborito

5
1 1 1 1 1

8. Abi kog mo inom nako

Abi ko -g mo inom n- ako

7
1 1 1 1 1 1 1

9. Ambi te

Ambi te
2
1 1

10. Maypa si V gihandaan nato

May -pa si V gi- handa -an nato

8
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

11. Ay di nako ni gastoon, new year ugma

Ay di nako ni gasto -on new year ugma

9
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

12. New year ugma

New year ugma

3
1 1 1

13. Damit mo yellow

 35

Damit mo yellow
3
1 1 1

Total: 68

68 (number of morphemes) / 13 (number of utterances) = 5.230769230769231

SOTP No. 3: Semantic Development: How does the child perceive the

meaning of the utterances and how can it affect to his/her speaking

capability?

The researchers used Creswell’s (2006) coding process in inductive

analysis to allow research findings to come up from frequent, dominant, and

significant themes essential in this study. Furthermore, analytical and

theoretical/perceptive triangulation methods were also used by the researchers

to keenly observe the subject’s language development. Based on the series of

observation by the researchers, despite Shammy’s (pseudonym) strength in

certain areas, she still demonstrated weakness at some point such as being

unable to determine certain words she wanted to express. The subject often

repeats certain words such as “kuan” which is far from the word she wanted to

convey. This is rooted in the subject’s lack of vocabulary. It’s either she closes

her mouth because of embarrassment or she say whatever comes to her mind

despite the difference in their meanings.

Shammy said:

“Ate nicole: Niya asa man mo sunod nangaon sunod ila ante ingkay?

Shang: Sunod dari sa balay, sunod kay...

 36

Shammy: Katong kuan

Ate nicole: Wala man lagi si saisai?

Natnat: Alangan ambot

Shammy: Katong Kuan lang

Natnat: Naa man sa ilang balay

Shammy: Didtoa Ilang ante ingkay, pagsulod katong Kuan pagsulod katong

atoa pagsulod ka ate Nicole

Ate Nicole: So where did you go after you went to eat at Ante Ingkay’s?

Shammy: Here in the house.. then.. that kuan..

Ate Nicole: Why is saisai not here?

Shammy: Because.. I don’t know.

Shammy: Because that kuan..

Natnat: She is at their house.

Shammy: There at Aunt Ingkay, inside that kuan inside that us inside to you

ate Nicole.

STOP No. 4: Pragmatic Development: How developed is the language of

the child in a social setting and is she sociologically competent?

Based on the thorough investigation of the researchers of the study, the

subject displayed a vibrant character when speaking with other people.

Shammy (pseudonym) could actually hold a conversation with an adult despite

her limited vocabulary. She was able to understand what people say to her and

could answer basic questions that is asked to her by her sisters. The subject

was able to state needs, give commands, express feelings, ask questions,

share knowledge and imaginations. It was also observed, that Shammy

 37

(pseudonym) was able to learn words by talking to the people in her

environment, through mimicking actions, and listening with conversations. She

learned uttering new words by observing her environment. We can anchor this

to Bandura’s (1977) Social Learning Theory, that there is a necessity of

observing, modeling, and mimicking others' behaviors, attitudes, and emotional

reactions. Environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence human

learning and behavior.

Shammy said:

“Ate manghiram ko kay aki bi.”

Ate, I will borrow to Akki.

“Girl: Shang! Unsa imo gusto regalo nga akong ihatag sa imo karong 24?

Shammy: Kanang…kuan 3 og corona na ariel basta…bag na kuan…”

Girl: Shang! What do you want me to give you this 24?

Shammy: That.. kuan 3 and crown that is Ariel like…bag that kuan..

“Shammy: Bakit mo inagaw ang asawa ko?

Natnat: Hindi ko inagaw ang asawa mo

Shammy: Inagaw mo ehh

Natnat: Hindi ko nga inagaw”

Shammy: Why did you stole my husband?

Natnat: I did not steal your husband.

Shammy: You stole him!

Natnat: I did not steal

 38

CHAPTER 4

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Language and communication abilities are crucial to a child's

development. They are better able to socialize and learn from their

surroundings if they can communicate effectively. This study was conducted to

find out the development of language in a five-year-old child as well as all of the

underlying factors that influence language development.

Findings

The findings of the study were recapitulated as follows:

Phonological Development, the subject uses repetition and imitation

in her speech. She can speak words in English with short vowel sounds well

such as the five short vowel sounds that includes short a, short e, short i, short

o, and short u, and while she is still unfamiliar with some words in English, she

can correctly pronounce these words with repetition and imitation.

Morpho-syntactic Development, researchers were able to get 5.23 as

the mean length of Shammy’s utterances. Millers Table of MLU by Age shows

that the average length of children aged 60 months falls between 5.02 and 5.63.

As a result, an MLU of 5.23 is expected in a child aged 54 to 60 months. This

indicates that her expressive language skills are developing in the expected

manner.

Semantic Development, despite the subject’s strength in some areas,

she exhibited weakness at times, such as being unable to determine which

words she wanted to express. This stems from the subject's lack of vocabulary.

Either she closes her mouth in embarrassment or she says whatever comes to

mind, regardless of the difference in their meanings.

 39

Pragmatic Development, despite her limited vocabulary, Shammy was

able to hold a conversation with an adult. The subject could express needs,

give commands, express emotions, ask questions, and share knowledge and

imaginations. She learned new words by observing her surroundings and could

also learn words by conversing with those around her, mimicking actions, and

listening to conversations.

Conclusion

Children are programmed to develop speech and language skills from

birth. Language development must be stimulated during the first five years of

life because the brain is developing new nerve cells as well as multiple

connections between these cells to serve the function of expressive and

receptive language. A lack of stimulation during this period may cause a child

to make slower progress or develop poor communication skills.

Based on the study's findings, the researchers concluded that the

subject's language development is typical of a child's normal development.

Certain children at this age might have difficulty throughout this stage however

the subject can express herself and uses language quite clearly. Although, the

subject shows difficulties in other areas of language she is still able to learn and

develop language through different ways of interacting and carefully observing

the people that surrounds her.

The researchers discovered that this study differs from other language

analysis project. This case study shows that there are various factors that affect

the language development of a child in terms of a child’s phonological,

morphological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic development. Moreover, it

showed how a child learns to improve his/her language.

 40

Recommendations

Based on the findings and conclusions of the study, the researcher is

recommending the following:

1. Chatting with children is an excellent way to provide them with a

variety of experiences. The words adults speak to children make up the

language “input” that children need in order to learn new words and ideas. The

more input children receive from adults, the more opportunities they will have,

to learn express themselves and understand what others are saying.

2. Reading in the early years is extremely effective for language

development; it has many other benefits as well, but it is especially beneficial

as they get older. When reading, make a point of emphasizing the words as

you say them. This helps the children connect the spoken and written words,

which will aid their literacy development later on.

3. To maximize opportunities for language development, create a

language-rich environment by ensuring that the environment around you is

conducive to good communication.

 41

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January 2022, from https://www.sltinfo.com/mean-length-of-utterance/.
 Appendix I

Informed Consent Form

Please read this form carefully. After you read the form and have asked
any questions, decide if you want your child to participate in this project. If you
do, please sign and date the form at the bottom.
The purpose of this project is to give students enrolled in EL 216
(PRINCIPLES AND THEORIES OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND
LEARNING) of the University of Southeastern Philippines Tagum-Mabini
Campus the opportunity to observe child speech in natural setting. Students in
this course will spend the semester examining patterns of child language
acquisition and learning, and for their project they are required to observe an
early language learner in a naturalistic context.
As part of their project your child will be observed and videotaped for at
least thirty (30) minutes. This observation period will be the full extent of your
child’s participation in this project under ______________________. Your child
will not be identified by name and the recording will not be distributed outside
of the class but for the sole academic purpose only. Your child’s participation
will be kept confidential.
If you have any questions about the project, please feel free to contact
the faculty handling this course. You will receive also a copy of this form so that
you will have this information.
Donna G. Magallanes
09477120171
Faculty, College of Teacher Education and Technology
University of Southeastern Philippines Tagum-Mabini Campus, Tagum
Unit
Apokon, Tagum City

Your child’s participation in this project is voluntary: you can choose to

participate or you can choose not to participate. The choice depends on you.

Dear Ms. Magallanes,

I have read this form, and I understand it. I agree to allow my child
_____________________________ to participate in this project under the
supervision of _________________________________________________,
being the researchers.
This is also to inform you that I have received a copy of this form.

___________________________
Signature over Printed Name of
Parent/Guardian

Date __________________
 APPENDIX II

CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Data

Name : PRENCESS BUANJUG

Address : Prk 1, La Filipina, Tagum City,

Davao del Norte

Date of Birth : January 24, 2002

Place of Birth : Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon

Civil Status : Single

Father : Deceased

Mother : Deceased

Educational Background

Elementary : Kitam-is Elementary School

2007-2014

Secondary Junior : Canocotan National High School

2014-2018

Senior High : Canocotan National High School

2019-2020

College : University of Southeastern Philippines

2020- Present (Undergraduate)

 Appendix III

CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Data

Name : FREDLYN KATE P. MANONDO

Address : Ditucalan, Iligan City,

Lanao del Norte

Date of Birth : August 12, 2002

Place of Birth : Ditucalan, Iligan City

Civil Status : Single

Father : Alfredo D. Manondo Jr.

Mother : Emmalyn P. Manondo

Educational Background

Elementary : Ditucalan Elementary School

2007-2014

Secondary Junior : Ditucalan National High School

2014-2018

Senior High : St. Laurence Institute of Technology

2019-2020

College : University of Southeastern Philippines

2020- Present (Undergraduate)

 Appendix IV

CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Data

Name : MISSY S. MIRAFUENTES

Address : Prk. 6-A Magdum, Tagum City

Davao del Norte

Date of Birth : May 20, 2002

Place of Birth : Tagum City, Davao del Norte

Civil Status : Single

Father : Jerry Mirafuentes

Mother : Belen Mirafuentes

Educational Background

Elementary : Magugpo Pilot Central Elementary School

2007-2014

Secondary Junior : La Filipina National High School

2014-2018

Senior High : La Filipina National High School

2019-2020

College : University of Southeastern Philippines

2020- Present (Undergraduate)

 Appendix V

CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Data

Name : ANTONETTE A. MUNDIT

Address : Sta. Teresa Vill., Cuambogan, Tagum City

Davao del Norte

Date of Birth : December 22, 2001

Place of Birth : Kidapawan City

Civil Status : Single

Father : Antonio D. Mundit Jr.

Mother : Jennet A. Mundit

Educational Background

Elementary : El Unido Elementary School

2007-2014

Secondary Junior : La Filipina National High School

2014-2018

Senior High : La Filipina National High School

2019-2020

College : University of Southeastern Philippines

2020- Present (Undergraduate)

 Appendix VI

CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Data

Name : CLARICE JANE A. NAVARRO

Address : Prk. Bagani Sacred Heart, Cuambogan, Tagum City

Davao del Norte

Date of Birth : March 26, 2002

Place of Birth : Tagum City, Davao del Norte

Civil Status : Single

Father : Rommel A. Navarro

Mother : Lorena S. Navarro

Educational Background

Elementary : Florentino Catalan Elementary School

2007-2014

Secondary Junior : La Filipina National High School

2014-2018

Senior High : La Filipina National High School

2019-2020

College : University of Southeastern Philippines

2020- Present (Undergraduate)

 Appendix VII

CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Data

Name : NICOLE M. NIALA

Address : Melendres Compound, Magugpo East, Tagum City

Davao del Norte

Date of Birth : December 10, 2000

Place of Birth : Tagum City, Davao del Norte

Civil Status : Single

Father : Dante C. Niala

Mother : Nella M. Niala

Educational Background

Elementary : Don Ricardo Briz Central Elementary School

2006-2013

Secondary Junior : Tagum City National High School

2013-2016

Senior High : UM Tagum College

2016-2019

College : University of Southeastern Philippines

2020- Present (Undergraduate)