Language acquisition among infants born in carceral institutions in Algeria

Abstract

Every year, many children are born in prisons. It has, however, been established in previous studies that the environment where the child lives is a key element in the process of the child’s language acquisition. The present research work aims to discover the effects of the carceral institution on the process of the child’s language acquisition. To reach this goal, the present investigation takes place in two rehabilitation institutions in Algeria. It collects data through interviews with mothers and interview with psychologists. The data collected is analysed and the triangulation of results revealed that the prison environment affects the child’s language acquisition at the lexical level. Moreover, it deprives the child of different situations that would enable him to acquire language. This study recommends that the prison authorities should draw attention to the importance of the psycholinguistic aspect of this category of children by providing better conditions for better language development.

Keywords: Carceral institution, child, infants, language acquisition;