Language Development

Language development

Much of today’s research points to the idea that the process of understanding language begins while a baby is still in utero. The baby in utero can tune into the sound of the mother’s voice. A few days after birth, babies are able to discern the mother’s voice among other voices.

Around 3 to 6 weeks, babies can develop different crying sounds to show specific needs like being hungry or needing a change or to express being uncomfortable.

Around 2 months of age, babies’ usually start to interact with those around them by cooing and smiling, which proceeds to babbling and other baby-talk around 6 to 8 months. Near the 6 month mark, most babies have learned all of the basic and distinct sounds of their native language. In the 4 to 8 month range babies’ will play with language. An endless stream of gibberish will probably issue forth – probably much to your delight. Your baby is learning how things sound and feel as they come out of his mouth.

Sometime in the 6 month to a year time period your baby will probably start stringing a few non-sense words together in a pattern that sounds like it nearly makes sense. Your baby is testing patterns that he hears people around him using.

Usually near the end of the first year most babies can say a few words, like "mama" or "dada," and can understand many more. All babies are different however. My two daughters were both very close to these milestones in the first year, whereas my son didn’t say much at all. Some experts will say that is due to differences between males and females – maybe so. Somewhere around 3 years old my son decided he had something to say. He can now out do his sisters as far as talking – if he wants to. He still has his taciturn periods. If your child is missing most if not all of the language milestones, you should consult with your pediatrician.

There are several different theories in language acquisition. But, it seems from research that the importance of modeling good grammar and good communication is a vital part of baby development.

Babies' brains are very open to learning, and they quickly absorb the language that they hear every day. It is important to spend time talking to your baby so that they can develop this important function. Being able to sort sounds and language is one of the most fundamental and important building blocks for developing babies’ intelligence and ability to learn in later life. Studies have shown that children whose parents spent time talking to them and playing word games extensively when they were babies have higher IQs and much larger vocabularies than other children. When you are with your baby – either around the house or out and about – take some time to point to things and enunciate them clearly so that they begin to associate the sounds with the objects you are pointing out. Describe what you're doing, sing songs, play games. Try to speak in normal pronunciations and tones rather than baby talk. There is a time and a place for baby talk, but try to limit its use. Listening to parents and others communicate will give baby a varied setting to understand language that will help build neural pathways in this critical period. Try not to isolate your baby while you go through your daily routine.

Reading is another fantastic way to expose your baby to words, inflections, vocabulary, and patterns. Brightly colored books with large pictures are a great way to keep your baby engaged while they hear words pronounced and different language patterns used.