Language development characteristics of preschool children

Jezik je glavno sredstvo s kojim se uspostavlja i održava komunikacija, a dijete ga već od rođenja počinje usvajati, spontano i prirodno. Kako bi lakše razumjeli put od usvajanja do učenja jezika ovaj završni rad daje pregled i objašnjava teorije usvajanja jezika, a to su: bihevioristička, nativistička, kognitivna, konekcionistička i funkcionalna. Također, u radu se navode do sada utvrđene karakteristike jezičnog razvoja, poseban naglasak stavlja se na fonološki, gramatički i semantički razvoj jezika djece predškolske dobi. Glavni cilj rada bio je ispitati jezična obilježja djece predškolske dobi, specifično dobi od 3 do 4 godine. Istraživanje je provedeno pomoću vođenog intervju-a u dječjem vrtiću, a sudjelovalo je petero djece. Rezultati istraživanja su u skladu s očekivanjima i potvrđuju dosadašnja istraživanja o razvoju i usvajanju hrvatskoga jezika. Djeca u dobi od 3 do 4 godine u svom govoru koriste gotovo sve vrste riječi i s njima tvore složene rečenične strukture, ali pritom se pojavljuju određena odstupanja u fonološkoj, gramatičkoj i semantičkoj razini.Language is the primary tool through which communication is established and maintained, and a child begins to acquire it from birth, spontaneously and naturally. In order to better understand the journey from acquisition to language learning, this final paper provides an overview and explains theories of language acquisition, namely: behavioral, nativist, cognitive, connectionist, and functional theories. Additionally, the paper outlines established characteristics of linguistic development, with a specific emphasis on the phonological, grammatical, and semantic development of language in preschool-aged children. The main objective of the study was to examine the linguistic characteristics of preschool-aged children, specifically those aged 3 to 4 years. The research was conducted through guided interviews in a childcare center, involving five children. The research findings align with expectations and confirm prior research on the development and acquisition of the Croatian language. Children between the ages of 3 and 4 years use almost all types of words and construct complex sentence structures in their speech, although certain deviations appear in the phonological, grammatical, and semantic levels