Chapter 60. Language Development in Infancy

Learning Objectives

babbling stage
stage of speech development beginning at about 4 months; babies spontaneously babble consonant-vowel clusters, including sounds not found in the household language
cooing stage
stage of speech development beginning at about 2 months; babies make softer vowel sounds such as “oooh” and “aaah”
crying stage
stage of speech development from birth to about 2 months; babies communicate mainly through crying
echoic babbling stage
stage of speech development beginning at around 8 or 10 months; babies begin to babble sounds that echo or imitate the sounds in the household language
multi-word stage
from about 24 months on, the child’s spoken language develops rapidly into complete sentences
one-word stage
by 12 months, most infants can speak actual words, which can communicate a sentence of meaning
telegraphic speech
in the two-word stage, toddlers include only the most important words (usually nouns and verbs) in a sentence, as in “Give cookie”
two-word stage
between 18 and 24 months, toddlers can form two-word utterances (called telegraphic speech) that have a sensible word order
Language Development in Infancy
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Learning Objective:

Describe the sequence of language development from birth to age 2 years.

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Himba children playing, village near Epupa falls,
      Kunene, Namibia, Africa
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1. Children all around the world acquire their native language within the first few years after birth, and all children follow the same sequence of early language development—although the timing may vary a bit from child to child.

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Portrait of a 2 months old baby boy crying outloud.
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2. In the first few weeks after birth, babies communicate mainly through crying and whimpering. They begin to make more pleasant vowel sounds (called cooing) at about 2 months of age.

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Pretty 6 month old baby girl with big blue eyes and ruffled dress sits and vocalizes. She holds a rattle. Pastels, isolated on white background, vertical, copy space.
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3. Between 4 and 6 months, infants begin to babble—forming consonant-vowel clusters such as "ba-ba-ba" and "dee-dee," and making a wide range of sounds found in languages from all across the world.

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4. Around 8 to 10 months, echoic babbling develops as infants begin to imitate the speech sounds found in their household language. Babies who have a hearing impairment don’t move into this stage.

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little thai-english girl, isolated on white background
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5. Around 12 months, most infants can speak in single words (the one-word stage). Shortly before the second birthday, toddlers move into the two-word stage, using telegraphic speech that includes only the most important words.

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6. A few months later, between 2 and 3 years of age, the multi-word stage marks the beginning of speaking in full sentences. At every stage of development, children (including those with hearing impairments) understand much more than they are capable of expressing.

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7. The sequence of language development occurs in the same stages and at roughly the same ages all around the world. This suggests that the biological maturation of the brain drives the process of language acquisition—but the process won't happen unless the child is exposed to spoken language.

Practice 1: Listening to Children Developing Language

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Practice 1: Listening to Children Developing Language

Roll over each photo to see the stage of language development for a child of that age. Then select the photo to listen to a sample of the vocalizations typical for that age.

newborn

Newborn baby boy (0-3 months) sleeping, closeup
Petrol/Getty Images

3 months

Close-up of a baby smiling
Blend Images/Getty Images

6 months

Black baby boy crawling on floor
Blend Images/Getty Images

9 months

Mixed race baby boy crawling on carpet
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12 months

Baby Girl Sitting on Chair
Fuse/Getty Images

20 months

Toddler talking on the phone
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24+ months

Child speaking
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Stage of speech development:

crying stage

cooing stage

babbling stage

echoic babbling stage

one-word stage

two-word stage

multi-word stage

Practice 2: Interaction of Heredity and Environment

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Practice 2: Interaction of Heredity and Environment

Select the PLAY button to see how genes interact with the language environment of the child.

Practice 3: Stages of Language Development

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Practice 3: Stages of Language Development

Select each language stage to see a description of that stage. Then play the video example of that stage.

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Crying Stage
From birth to about 2 months, babies communicate mainly through crying.
Cooing Stage
Beginning at about 2 months, babies make softer vowel sounds such as “oooh” and “aaah.”
Babbling Stage
Beginning at about 4 months, babies spontaneously babble consonant-vowel clusters, including sounds not found in the parents’ language.
Echoic babbling Stage
At around 8 or 10 months, babies begin to babble sounds that echo or imitate the sounds in the parents’ language, and other sounds disappear.
One-word Stage
By 12 months, most infants can speak actual words, which can communicate a sentence of meaning.
Two-word Stage
Between 18 and 24 months, toddlers can form two-word sentences (called “telegraphic speech”) that have a sensible word order.
Multi-word Stage
From about 24 months on, a child’s spoken language develops rapidly into complete sentences.

Quiz 1

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Quiz 1

Drag each of these language stages to the gray area next to the approximate age. When all the stages has been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

Perhaps you should go back to review language stages with their age ranges.
Select the NEXT button and move to Quiz 2.
making vowel sounds (“cooing”)
babbles many speech sounds
babbling based on household language
one-word stage
two-word, “telegraphic” speech
language developing rapidly into complete sentences

Approximate age in months

3

6

9

12

24

24+

Quiz 2

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Quiz 2

Match the language stages to their descriptions by dragging each colored circle to the appropriate gray circle. When all the circles have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

Select the NEXT button and move to the Conclusion.
Perhaps you should go back to review language stages and their age ranges.
babbling stage
cooing stage
crying stage
echoic babbling stage
multi-word stage
one-word stage
two-word stage
By 12 months, most infants can speak actual words, which can communicate a sentence of meaning.
From about 24 months on, language develops rapidly into complete sentences.
Beginning at about 2 months, babies make softer vowel sounds such as “oooh” and “aaah.”
From birth to about 2 months, babies communicate mainly through crying.
Beginning at about 4 months, babies spontaneously babble consonant-vowel clusters, including sounds not found in the household language.
Between 18 and 24 months, toddlers can form two-word sentences (called telegraphic speech) that have a sensible word order.
At around 8 or 10 months, babies begin to babble sounds that echo or imitate the sounds in the household language.

Conclusion

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