Introduction
Language learning involves how humans can understand and speak language. The interplay between innate capabilities and environmental stimuli characterizes this developmental process. Toddlers can generally master many basics of their native language by 24 months. Scientifically, going from being nonverbal to verbal newborns is still an area of research to grasp fully. Researchers have theorized several theories aiming to capture mechanisms behind early language acquisition. This paper will discuss language development theories, such as a child’s first word.
Babbling and Gestures
As Berger (2022) notes, infants start communicating by crying and vegetative sounds during the first few months of their life. In about 2-3 months, they reach the stage of cooing. Babbling emerges around six months as babies string together sounds like “baba” and “mama.”This helps them practice making speech sounds. Babies also begin using gestures like waving around 9-10 months to communicate wants and needs before having words. Parents can encourage communication by responding to babbles, gestures, and cries. Narrating daily activities also exposes babies to language.
Gestures also emerge as an early form of communication before infants have words. Simple gestures like waving “bye-bye,” reaching to be picked up, or pointing at objects begin around 9-10 months. Gestures help infants express wants and needs and draw attention to objects. Responding to these gestures gives babies feedback that their communications are effective. Before mastering speech, gestures demonstrate that babies understand others as social, communicative beings. As babies approach 12 months, gestural and verbal communications become more coordinated. An infant may point at a bottle while vocalizing, integrating the gesture and “word” to request the object. This shows the beginning links between symbols (words, gestures) and their meanings.
Naming Explosion
The naming explosion refers to the rapid increase in vocabulary that occurs in the second year of life. Babies can say about three words at 12 months but around 50 words by 18 months and 200+ words by 24 months (Berger, 2022). As their vocabulary grows, toddlers combine words into phrases like “daddy bye” and “more milk.” An adult might say, “I would like some more milk, please,” which shows how toddlers use short, simple sentences to communicate complex ideas.
Several factors contribute to the rapid increase in vocabulary, known as the naming explosion. First, areas of the brain involved in language processing and production undergo maturation during this period, facilitating word learning. Infants’ ability to discriminate speech sounds improves, allowing them to better perceive the words around them. Also, babies understand that words function as symbols or labels that refer to objects, people, and actions. Increased object permanence enables infants to associate words with objects even when those objects are out of sight. Finally, babies become more socially motivated and realize that language is a tool for social interaction.
Theories of Language Development
The behaviorist theory proposes that language develops through learning principles such as conditioning, reinforcement, and imitation. Behaviorists believe language is acquired through positive reinforcement of correct language use and imitation of speech (Rowe & Weisleder, 2020). Operant conditioning shapes language; children learn to associate words with meanings through continued positive reinforcement for verbal behavior. Behaviorist B.F. Skinner emphasized the role of feedback and modeling in language learning.
The nativist theory suggests humans are biologically programmed to acquire language through innate capacities. Linguist Noam Chomsky was a key proponent of this view, arguing that children possess a “language acquisition device” to detect grammatical patterns and rules. The device enables infants to analyze the language they hear and derive the structure of their native language. Nativists believe the human brain has specialized circuits for language acquisition. This explains children’s ability to master the complex rules of grammar rapidly.
Interactionist theory focuses on the role of social interaction in acquiring language. Pioneered by Lev Vygotsky, this view proposes that language develops through exchanges with more skilled language users (Rowe & Weisleder, 2020). Adults and peers provide scaffolding for children while learning communication skills. Children construct meaning and gain language competence through cooperative dialogues and active conversation participation. The interactionist perspective emphasizes both innate abilities and the child’s environment.
First Words
My first word was “doggie” because we had a dog when I was a baby. First words are often people, pets, favorite objects, foods, or actions babies encounter frequently in their environment. Common first words like “dada,” “mama, “mama and “baba” (bottle) reflect the critical people and items in a baby’s daily life. The meaningful nature of first words shows babies’ ability to connect words and their referents.
Conclusion
In summary, language acquisition involves crucial milestones like babbling, gesturing, naming explosion, and first words. Theories provide different perspectives on how innate capacities and environmental influences enable infants to master verbal communication. Tracking a baby’s language development is an exciting opportunity to observe their emerging ability to understand and express themselves through words.
References
Berger, K.S. (2022). Invitation to the life span (5th ed.). Worth Publishing.
Rowe, M. L., & Weisleder, A. (2020). Language development in context. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 2, 201-223.
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