The Language and Thought of the Child: (Routledge Classics)

This book is for anyone who has ever wondered how a child develops language, thought, and knowledge. Before this classic appeared, little was known of the way children think. In 1923, however, Jean Piaget, the most important developmental psychologist of the twentieth century, took the psychological world by storm with The Language and Thought of the Child. Applying for the first time the insights of social psychology and psychoanalysis to the observation of children, he uncovered the ways in which a child actively constructs his or her understanding of the world through language. The book has since been a source of inspiration and guidance to generations of parents and teachers. While its conclusions remain contentious to this very day, few can deny the huge debt we owe to this pioneering work in our continuing attempts to understand the minds of the child.

Table of Contents:
Preface l The Functions of Language in Two Children of Six 2 Types and Stages in the Conversation of Children between the Ages of Four and Seven 3 Understanding and Verbal Explanation between Children of the Same Age between the Years of Six and Eight 4 Some Peculiarities of Verbal Understanding in the Child between the Ages of Nine and Eleven 5- The Questions of a Child of Six II. Questions not expressed under the form of Why” III. Conclusion. Categories of thought or logical functions in the child of seven 6 The Measure of Ego-centric Language in Verbal Communication between the Adult and the Child and in Verbal Exchanges between Children

About the Author :
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) Psychologist and pioneer in the study of child intelligence. His work is world-renowned and has had a profound effect on the fields of psychology, sociology, education, and law.

Review :
'His theory of child development has influenced the way millions of schoolchildren have been taught.' - Times Literary Supplement 'Jean Piaget breaks startling new ground by showing us how a child's grasp of concepts develops as inevitably as his bones.' - The Observer