BROWN’S MORPHOLOGICAL STAGES

• How many stages of morpheme development are there?

  Five
• what is stage one of morpheme development?

  12-26 months

  MLU is 1-2

  Basic phrases or sentences that show communicative intent

  EG more water, no juice
• what is MLU?

  Mean length of utterance
• what is stage two of morpheme development?

  27-30 months

  MLU is 2-2.5

  Present progressive (-ing verbs), prepositions in and on, -s plural
• what is stage three of morpheme development?

  31-34 months

  MLU is 2.5-3

  Irregular past tense, possessive ’s, uncontractible copula be (Eg are, was)
• what is stage four of morpheme developmen?

  35-40 months

  MLU is 3-3.75

  articles (the, a), past tense -ed verbs, 3rd person regular present tense
• what is stage five of morpheme development?

  41 months onwards

  MLU is 3.75-4.5

  3rd person irregular, uncontractible auxiliary, contractiblue copula and contractible auxiliary