Combining the contributions of experts and highly-respected researchers, the eighth edition of Language Development offers a definitive exploration of language acquisition and development from infancy through adulthood.

Taking a multi-disciplinary approach, it examines what we know about language development―addressing communication development in infancy, phonological development, semantic development, morphology and syntax. Broadening the scope of study, it puts language development into larger biological, social and cultural contexts, while investigating individual differences, atypical development, literacy and even language development in adults.

· More cross-linguistic coverage of language acquisition (with an emphasis on Spanish acquisition) proves invaluable to students in all fields because of the growing non-English speaking segment of US population.

· New coverage of infant development and precursors to language development (Chapter 2) emphasizes why the first year of life sets the stage for typical language development―particularly in the perception and comprehension domains.

· Expanded coverage of contemporary topics such as communication in non-human primates; individual variation in human language development; and cultural influences that impact language development (Chapters 1 & 8) puts language development into larger biological, social, and cultural context.

· Newest research on the nature and most effective treatment of language disorders in children (Chapter 9) summarizes information from thousands of research reports on autism spectrum disorder, hearing impairment and cochlear implants, children with SLI and other populations.

· Recent findings on language use in mature/older adults (Chapter 11) explores findings related to language following stroke and language in individuals with Alzheimer's Disease.

· Revised projects and activities engage the reader with extended, hands-on, and real-world applications.

Jean Berko Gleason, PhD. is one of the world’s leading experts on children’s language and one of the founding mothers of the field of psycholinguistics. She created the famous Wug Test, which reveals how children learn the rules of language, such as how to make singular words plural. Her current work investigates parents’ speech and the interactive nature of language acquisition. She is the author of leading textbooks in her field and many influential studies of aphasia, language development, gender differences in language, and language in the Roma community in Hungary. Dr. Berko Gleason is Professor Emerita in the department of psychology at Boston University. A member of the Academy of Aphasia, she is past president of the International Association for the Study of Child Language and of the Gypsy Lore Society. Her work is frequently cited in the professional literature, and has been featured in the popular media. She is profiled in the PBS online Nova Science Now series The Secret Life of Scientists.

Nan Bernstein Ratner, Ed.D., C.C.C. is Professor and Chair, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland at College Park. Dr. Bernstein Ratner is the editor of numerous volumes, and author of numerous chapters and articles addressing language acquisition and fluency in children. Many of her research reports can be found in the Journal of Speech and Hearing Research and other major journals, with chapters in major texts on child speech and language development. With Jean Berko Gleason, Dr. Bernstein Ratner is the author of the text Psycholinguistics as well as prior editions of Language Development. Dr. Bernstein Ratner currently serves as Co-editor of Seminars in Speech and Language. In 1996, Dr. Ratner was made a fellow of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association. In 2006, she was presented with the Distinguished Researcher Award by the International Fluency Association.