New Releases by de Villiers

This book provides a lucid and entertaining account of the child''s entrance in the world of language. By means of amusing and informative examples, the authors describe the language acquisition process, from birth to school age, showing how children gradually master the intricacies of sounds, words, rules, and concepts.

The study of language acquisition has become a center of scientific inquiry into the nature of the human mind. The result is a windfall of new information about language, about learning, and about children themselves. In Language Acquisition Jill and Peter de Villiers provide a lively introduction to this fast-growing field. Their book deals centrally with the way the child acquires the sounds, meanings, and syntax of his language, and the way he learns to use his language to communicate with others. In discussing these issues, the de Villiers provide a clear and insightful treatment of the classic questions about language acquisition: Does the child show a genetic predisposition for speech, or grammar, or semantics which makes him uniquely able to learn human language? What kinds of learning are involved in acquiring language and what kinds of experience with a language are necessary to support such learning? Is there a critical period during the child''s development which is optimal for language acquisition? And what kind of psychological disabilities underlie the failure to acquire language?

Baldick offers the only available English translation of these twenty-seven tales.

Pierre de Villiers (ca. 1657-1720) and brothers Abraham (ca. 1659-1720) and Jacques (1661-1735) were either sons or grandsons of Pierre de Villiers of La Rochelle, France. The three brothers emigrated from France (via Holland) to Cape Town, South Africa in 1689, and settled on farm land nearby, receiving land grants in 1694. Pierre married Marie Elizabeth Taillefer in 1694, and his brothers married two sisters, Suzanne and Marguerite Gardiol. Descendants and relatives lived in various parts of South Africa.

The inspiring story of Graça Machel, and her dream to instill a love for reading and learning in the children of Mozambique and the rest of Africa.