The development of language occurs extraordinarily rapidly in children. Language is believed to stem from an innate ability and develops as a result of maturation, but it is also dependent on environmental stimulation and learning.
Most babies are babbling soon after 6 months of age, and will then begin to form repetitive sounds such as ‘ma-ma-ma’ or ‘da-da-da’ over the next few months, especially if this is reinforced by others. Parents will often talk or sing to babies, and this sort of stimulation is very important in ensuring that babies fulfil their language potential. The next stage of language development for babies is to begin to use single words meaningfully. Often the first real words are ‘mama’ or ‘dada’, followed rapidly by other commonly used and simple words such as ‘bye’, ‘doggy’, ‘drink’, and so on. First words are frequently mispronounced and difficult to understand, and the progressive acquisition of vocabulary is dependent to some extent on reinforcement and stimulation by parents and other family members.
Toddlers then string several words together in meaningful phrases, and this is soon followed by sentences. By about 3 years of age they will have acquired some of the rules of grammar and language that form the basis of mature adult speech.
A child’s comprehension of language parallels speech development. Both speech and comprehension are dependent on adequate hearing. If a child is deaf or has a permanent or fluctuating hearing problem, then language may be absent or delayed, or there may be problems of articulation or intelligibility .
The rate ot language development will depend on a host of factors, to do with both the child and the environment. Girls generally tend to be slightly more advanced than boys in their language development. Second and later born children may have advanced development (because they have older siblings to model themselves on) or else may be a little slower (because their siblings will do their talking for them and make their needs known to parents). The temperament of a child may influence language usage — a shy, introverted child will tend to hold back in communication, whereas the reverse is true for a more confident, outgoing child.
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