An English-free version of BLADES

Abstract

224School in England. Their scores were analysed on a two-dimensional matrix by error analysis to form profiles of their behaviour in the two languages. Both Ll Punjabi and L2 English were seen to develop with age, the former showing a spurt between 8 and 11 Terms (71/z-81/2 years) and the latter reflecting a steady acquisition. Language 'transfer' of certain features where the formal and developmental axes of the two languages converge was seen to take place from English to Punjabi but not conversely.An English-free version of BLADES MARY GUTFREUND, University of Bristol The Bristol Language Development Scale (BLADES), presented to the Child Language Seminar at Nottingham 1984, is based on the longitudinal records of 128 children from 15 months to 5 years. It gives the sequential development of English in pragmatic, semantic and syntactic systems. The English-free version of the scale has been produced as a result of interest from teachers of the deaf using British Sign Language who are looking for a way of assessing a child's progress in that language. Because the syntax of BSL is different from English all syntactic and syntactically based items have been dropped from the scale. The English-free version of BLADES presented contains elements of the semantic and pragmatic systems which, a group of teachers of the deaf and native BSL users agree, are valid for BSL.It will provide a basis for a full BSL Language Development Scale. This will be realized when the BSL syntactical items have been added.Consideration will also be given to the use of the English-free BLADES for other purposes; other languages, comparison of mother tongue and English development for children learning English as a second language, and children using Makaton. was recorded at home on three occasions from 2;11 to 3;00. The English of the adult community to which she belongs can be described as diglossic with an L-variety which has many syntactic similarities with Chinese. Her English questions during those sessions are examined.Rachel can be said to use only one interrogative form, wh-, without either inversion or the preposing of the wh-element that has been noted in other at OhioLink on March 15, 2015 fla.sagepub.com Downloaded from