Language Sampling

This interactive Power Point can be used as guide in beginning your Language Sampling

Click on the speaker above and you will hear a recoding I have made to narrate the Power Point

presentation.

Step 1- transcription

• Create a video or audio tape of a preschool child engaged in a conversation.

• Transcribe the dialogue between the child and any other participants.

• Use a numbering system to keep track of the number of utterances the child makes.

• Use a color coding system to keep track of who is speaking when.

Example of Transcription

• Watch the video of Katie talking about Ballyations again and look at the sample transcription of her speech.

• Notice the numbering and color coding system used to keep track of her speech.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDP05CYgAlw&feature=related(right click and click open hyperlink

• Count the number of morphemes in each utterance. Keep in mind the information from p. 129 in your textbook about morphemes as a guide. – For this sampling, I only transcribed 12 child utterances.

For your Language Sampling, use the rubric as your guide for number of utterances per child.

• Next use the handout found in week 3 to calculate the Mean Length Utterance of this speech chart. Remember to total the number of morphemes an divide by the number of utterances in a sampling.– Spoiler alert- My morpheme calculations are on a second chart

after the first one and my MLU results are on the slide after the two charts.

1 KatieI’m going to tell you about the ballyations

Mom You’re going to talk about what?

2 Katie Ballyations

3 Katie I’m going to tell you about the ballyations.

Mom Ok

4 Katie 1 little ballyatin has to walk and he doesn’t have a leash.

Mom Laughing

Mom Good one

5 Katie 2 little puppies, nooooooo

Mom No?

6 Katie No, these are puppies

Mom Oh, those are puppies?

7 Katie And hese are ballyations

Mom Dalmations

8 Katie See, puppies

Mom Unh huh

9 Katie And ballyations

Mom Puppies and dalmations

10 Katie No, ballyations

Mom Oh, ballyations

11 Katie Hey, uh I got her.

Mom Did you scare the cat?

12 Katie Yeah and she went away

1 KatieI’m going to tell you about the ballyations

11

Mom You’re going to talk about what?

2 Katie Ballyations 2

3 Katie I’m going to tell you about the ballyations. 11

Mom Ok

4 Katie 1 little ballyatin has to walk and he doesn’t have a leash. 13

Mom Laughing

Mom Good one

5 Katie 2 little puppies, nooooooo 5

Mom No?

6 Katie No, these are puppies 5

Mom Oh, those are puppies?

7 Katie And these are ballyations 5

Mom Dalmations

8 Katie See, puppies 3

Mom Unh huh

9 Katie And ballyations 3

Mom Puppies and dalmations

10 Katie No, ballyations 3

Mom Oh, ballyations

11 Katie Hey, uh I got her. 4

Mom Did you scare the cat?

12 Katie Yeah and she went away 5

• Total # of morphemes is 70. 70/12= 5.8• So the MLU calculation is 5.8• Based on your readings of Brown’s

stages- at what stage would Katie fall based only on MLU?

• Using the following handout about functions of language, which of the 7 functions does Katie exhibit during her conversation with her mother?

• Spoiler Alert• The answers as I saw them are found on

the page after the functions handout

Functions of LanguageSee p. 139 Table 4.8

• Instrumental- used to satisfy a need– “Doggie, Mommy.”

• Regulatory- used to control other’s behavior– “No go night night.”

• Interactive- used to get along with others– “Play with me.”

• Personal- used to tell about one’s self– “I big boy now.”

• Heuristic- used to learn about things– “Where is the sun?”

• Imaginative- used to pretend or make believe– “I’m a doggie, roof, roof.”

• Informative- used to inform others– “This card goes with that card.”

Katie’s Language Functions

• Katie’s MLU stage would be in the Stage 5• 11 of Katie’s utterances centered around giving

information to her mother. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, , 9, 10, 11, 12.• 4 utterances center around make believe- 4, 5,6,7• 1 utterance is to control the behaviors of others- the cat

with Hey.• She is not merely expressing needs or wants. This child

is playing with her mother in an imaginative way • Her functions of language use are beyond that of a child

in stage 2 or early stage 3.

TaaaDaa

• Transcribe, color code, number and count the conversation

• Calculate MLU• Identify functions of

language used using chart in Power Point or in text.

• Compare and question