Indonesian Word Awareness in Children First Language Acquisition from Their Linguistic Models

Abstract

This study describes the children’s way to develop their word awareness of first language acquisition from their linguistic models, and teachers’ way to encourage children word awareness at early childhood of preschool. The data obtained from 30 children of group B1. The instruments used for collecting the data were observation, Anecdotal Records and interview. The data collection was preceded in several phases of research execution; class observation, taking the teacher’s document of Anecdotal Records and children’s language achievement, and interview for validity check. The results of the instruments were analyzed by exploration and interpretation using observation and analysis way to find a description how children develop their word awareness from teachers and peers. The result shows that children’s way to speak and interact is quite different with adult’s speaking.  Preschool teachers used motherese register to speak with children. They speak more slowly, clearly, at a higher pitch, and with exaggerated intonation. Children developed their word awareness from teachers were facilitated with multimedia, sources, references, and explanation they needed to know a word and its meaning. By having good facilitation, children may pronounce everything around with teachers as a model. Meanwhile, the children interaction with peer tended to adopt some error words usage and pronunciation.