Question

or this essay question compare and contrast the role of language as seen by the theorist’s: Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Be sure to: 1-explain how they both viewed language in similar ways, 2-how they differed in their views of language and lastly, being that one theorist felt stronger about the role of language leading to higher levels of abstract thinking, what would Piaget/Vygotsky say to one another if they were given the opportunity to critique each other on their differing views.

Answer 1

The swiss psychologist Jean Piaget placed aquisition of language within the context of child's cognitive development.He argued that a child has to understand a concept before he or she can aquire the particular language form which express that concept .Cognitive theory views language aquisition within the context of child's broader intellectual development.Since the cognitive theory of language acquisition is based on piagets theory of cognitive development ,a brief description and understanding of this theory is must.

Similarly the psychologist Vygotsky 's view point ,language is critical for cognitive development.He argues that language in the form of private speech guides cognitive development.If we closely observe children engaged in play it can be noted that they often talk to themselves as they play .Psychologist call this phenomenon as private speech .The use of private speech is peak at around 5 to 7 years of age and generally disappears by 9 years of age .Vygotsky considers this transition from audible private speech to silent inner speech as a fundemental process in cognitive development.

For Piaget children goes through four stages in a fixed order that is universal in all children .Piagets four stages are known as the sensory motor ,pre operational concrete operational and formal operational stage .The sensory motor stage in a child is from birth to approaximately two years.During this stage child has relatively little competence in representing the enviournment using images,languages,or symbols.Piaget called this a lack of object permanence .

Second stage is the preoperational stage is from the age of two to seven years.The most important development at this stage is language.Children developan internal representation of the world that allows them to  describe people ,events and feelings.Thinking of the child is more advanced than when it was in the sensory motor stage.Children in the preoperational stage are charecterised by what piaget called egocentric thoughts.

Concrete operational stage last from the age of seven to 12 years of age .Children develop the ability to think in a more logical manner and they begin to overcome some of the egocentric charecteristics of the preoperational stage.

The formal operational stage in most people begins at the age of 12 years of age and continues to adult hood.

But for vygotsky the development stages are entirely different from Piaget but its number is same (4).They are

Primitive speech stage -non intellectual or thought less stage

Psychological speech stage -correct use of language structures without the understanding of their logical meaning.

egocentric speech stage -The use of external signs are used in the solution of internal problems

in-growth speech stage -Ability to manipulate thoughts using soundless speech

And the corner stone of vygotsky theory are the social significance of education and its relation to societal involvement.He has argued that knowledge is constructed by the learner through social interaction and with the help of the society.Another point raised by him is that the meaning and rules of application of words and other factors of language are regulated by culture and hence the society .

These may be the arguements by Piaget and vygotsky ;

Piaget strongly argued that the language development leading to the abstract thinking, so piaget defenitely argues about this thought.Thinking process starts at the preoperational stage and is around 12 years of age ,and it continues to adulthood. This stage produces a new kind of thinking that is abstract ,formal and logical .Thinking is no longer tied to events that can be observed .A child at this stage can think hypothetically and use logics to solve problems .So it is thought that not all individuals reach this level of thinking.So he will defenitely argues by this point

But Vygotsky will oppose by his views ,He may says that knowledge is constructed by the learner through social interaction and with the help of the society.Culture is reflected in language ,Language acts also as the meduim for transmitting the culture to the future generation and as the strongest instrument for reniewing and developing it ,so it is most important .