A child’s vocabulary increases rapidly during the preschool years and even more during the school years. A research estimates that a child learns about 5 words a day before the first grade and by first grade on an average he might have at least 10,000 words in his vocabulary. The types of vocabulary words that children use are influenced by their language styles. Two types of language styles are
Referential language style: in this style, children develop a vocabulary that includes many object names and use these labels to name the things in their environments. Ex. naming different toys like ball, bat, doll etc. that children use while playing.
Expressive language styles: In this style children have fewer object names in their vocabulary unlike referential language style. They use words to regulate social interactions with adults. Ex. saying good bye.
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