"First Language Acquisition". By George Yule.

1. - Which are two important features of the caretaker speech?

The caretakers have a singular way to talk; they simplify their speech style by using exaggerated intonation, simplified words and simple sounds. However the two important features of the caretaker speech are to use simple sentences structures and a lot of repetition.

2. - What is the term used to describe the process where a child uses one word like “Ball” to refer to an apple, an egg and a ball?

That process is called holophrastic stage, it happened when the baby is twelve months and eighteen months.  This period is also called “one-word stage” and it is characterized by speech in which single terms are uttered for everyday objects. For example: The baby will call ball to everything what looks like a ball (apple, eggs), or he will use a word to call things which are related; For example: He will call Katy to the bed where Katy sleeps.

3. - Why saying that children learn because they imitate is controversial?

Children do learn because they imitate us. When they say a word o named a thing badly we tend to correct them and then they repeat what we say. They think that what we say is correct so they began to imitate us in every ways, but, in our normal environment we usually speak badly and they will imitate our bad habit. It is controversial because when they began to speak they will do it just like us, and it will create them a bad habit.

4. - Do children change behavior when they are corrected?

No. when children acquire the ability to communicate they also acquire the ability to create new words. When we correct them while we talk they don’t realized that they are wrong so they repeat the word incorrectly. 

Example: (Fragment taken from “The study of Language” by George Yule)

Child: My teacher holded the baby rabbits.

Mother: Did you say your teacher held the baby rabbits?

Child: Yes.

Mother: What did you say she did?

Child: She holded the baby rabbits and we patted them.

5. - What is the role of feedback in children learning?

Feedback is very important when we want to acquire a language because when the child want to express an idea by using just one or two words and the caretaker understand it and do not correct them he will think the sentence will be good and he will learn it. So, it is important to let the kids know when they are making mistakes and teach them the correct form of the sentence they wanted to express.