Bridging the Research-Practice Gap: Children’s Functional Language Protocols

Abstract

Traditional descriptive linguists were interested primarily in describing language forms, generally abstracted from language use in contexts. Recent linguistic research however has focused on how language functions in context, and the ways in which that context affects language use. This article discusses aspects of childrens’ functional language use. It addresses the implications of understanding children’s functional language competence for educational assessment and evaluation. The application of this understanding to the preparation of teaching materials and to the design of curricula is discussed, and finally, it is suggested that children’s language is a viable system in its own right rather than an incomplete rendition of an adult model. This discussion has implications for those working with children in bilingual education programs.