By: Hilma Safitri (Lecturer of Linguistics at Universitas Pamulang)
Just like walking upright or sleeping, language acquisition is a long and evolving process that always follows the same stages at a pace that can vary from one child to another. But before being oral, language can take on other forms of communication. As Françoise Dolto, an emblematic figure of child psychology, has often expressed, we must not underestimate the infant’s ability to communicate. But when does the baby start talking? What are the steps and when should I worry about a possible delay? Are there techniques for teaching your child to speak and facilitating this acquisition?
Language development during childhood
If learning to speak is a natural process that integrates the phases of child development, all the studies carried out also show that this process will depend largely on the quality of the environment and the frequency of stimuli. .
Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, highlighted several stages of language acquisition. They operate by stage and correspond to phases of brain maturation. According to Piaget’s theory, children develop different types of language depending on their age: grinning, crying, cooing, babbling, onomatopoeia, monosyllabic terms, use of the third person to talk about themselves, then use of “I” and syntactic construction. This evolution follows the phases that he determined to be:
- The sensorimotor stage (0–2 years),
- The preoperative stage (2–7 years),
- The concrete operations stage (7–11 years old)
Language acquisition is a learning process that takes place and builds over several years and is essential because speaking means entering into contact with the world and people, an essential function for one’s emotional development and mental health.
Let us detail each of the steps in more detail below.
Baby language acquisition between 0 and 12 months
Newborns and infants express themselves in a different way than through words to make themselves understood.
From birth to 6 months
It is non-verbal communication that takes precedence: gestural and visual communication. His smiles and grins say a lot about his physical and mental well-being, and he looks at you to capture your attention. Added to this way of expressing oneself are tears and screams, which reflect temporary difficulties, anxieties, aches, and pains. Little by little, the acquisition of language begins; it is first linked to hearing and the perception of sounds (phonology). This is the age of the first chirps; he makes small, high-pitched sounds. During this period, it is essential to establish communication with the baby and therefore to respond to his attempts to communicate with a word but also a smile or to imitate his sound productions.
It is also important to verbalize what you do with him so that he knows and understands the world around him.
From 6 to 12 months
Baby perceives the meaning of the tone of words (but not their meaning); he understands if you express happiness, sadness, discontent, or anger. He perceives where the sounds come from; he babbles (succession of meaningless syllables; example: “bababa”). He uses the intonation of his mother tongue. He reacts to his name and understands, after around 12 months, that each word has meaning. He expresses himself more and more through gestures (he shows and points to objects to get your attention but also to have things named for him). Joint attention and pointing are essential steps in language acquisition.
Expressing yourself through gestures and symbolic signs is what many structures or associations now offer. These sign lessons will help the child express himself while waiting for language acquisition to reduce the feeling of frustration linked to the parents’ incomprehension. However, responding to the child, imitating him, and trying to understand him helps limit this frustration; it is also what makes him want to express himself more.
Baby’s first months lay the foundations for language acquisition with the establishment of phonetic principles. So you understand why it is important from a very young age to speak to them using correct and simple words. By slowing down your speech and intensifying the prosody* of your voice, babies will love it and will know that you are speaking to them!
Baby language acquisition from 1 to 3 years old
From 1 to 2 years
Very often “dad” and “mom” are the first words they say. An event that happens around his first birthday. Then, around 18 months, there is a first lexical explosion: vocabulary acquisition is exponential; he pronounces around 50 words and understands many more. For him, a word means a complete sentence. So “mom” can mean “where is mom?”. Hence the importance of reformulating this entire sentence as you understood it!
From 2 to 3 years
At the age when he is about to celebrate his second birthday, he is able to put 2 or 3 words together in a logical sequence to create simple sentences. His thinking becomes structured and allows him to organize words in the right order (or almost); do not hesitate to repeat the correct sentence without asking for repetition and without negative comments; at 36 months, he uses around 500 words, but he understands many more! He will begin to use “me/I” at a period during which he is in the process of constructing his identity (self-affirmation).
During these two years, language acquisition is marked by the explosion of the lexical field: vocabulary and the meaning of terms (essential stage). Remember that children learn a lot through imitation. Therefore, talk to them often and interact with them; it’s a game! Also provide him with books, because reading him stories leaves room for exchange and discussion, for imagination, and a much richer vocabulary! It is also a time for attention and sharing, which prepares them for activities requiring more concentration.
Learning to speak and express yourself well from 3 to 5 years old: the stages of language
From 3 to 4 years
His vocabulary now numbers over 1,000 words. He knows his name and his age, and he can sing short nursery rhymes learned at school or at home on his own. He can also express himself using verbs, and he makes longer sentences. He nevertheless confuses times; the notions of present, past, and future remain very complex for him.
We can engage in real conversations and always verbalize what we do with him, which will allow us to acquire the notions of time, cause, consequence, etc.
From 4 to 5 years
His vocabulary has grown further and now has more than 2000 words. What an incredible acquisition, right? He no longer distorts words and generally expresses himself well while making usage mistakes with irregular verbs, but nothing is more normal! Again, when you hear an error, give it the correct model (always without requiring repetition). In his cognitive development, thought is structured essentially thanks to language (the one he hears and the one he expresses); he opens up to the world. Entry into school allows him to broaden his horizons, express himself better, and learn the polite rules of life in society (I don’t interrupt, I wait my turn, and I raise my hand to talk). It is also the age of “why?” and “how?”. Answering these questions is important; even if you don’t have all the answers, just tell him. The importance of books among young people no longer needs to be demonstrated; they help promote language acquisition.
During this period, the child will mainly progress at the syntactic level. He learns to construct longer and more complex sentences and to place each word correctly. School plays an important role since he spends at least half his days there, but you also have an essential role in stimulating and enriching your child’s language on a daily basis.
Language disorders in childhood
Any delay in the acquisition of language and communication must be considered, regardless of the child’s age. For example, if the baby does not babble, if he does not try to communicate or later if the child does not emit any words at 2 years old or any outline of a sentence at 3 years old, if he is unintelligible at 4 years old, etc.
However, it is acceptable not to pronounce certain sounds correctly until 4 or 5 years old; give the correct model again and see if it changes.
We can speak of language acquisition disorders if the difficulties persist or if several aspects of language are impacted: vocabulary, organization of words, comprehension (simple sentences and instructions, or the fact that he does not associate a word with its image), and intelligibility. We must act early so that there is no psychological or relational impact.
You can then first consult the doctor treating your child or the pediatrician. He will try to see if there is a medical reason for this delay or if these difficulties are associated with other disorders (psychomotor development, eating behavior). Hence the importance of preventive medical monitoring to detect possible speech acquisition disorders as early as possible.
Among the most common language disorders are stuttering, more or less severe language acquisition delay, and a specific language disorder called dysphasia. The delay can also be observed in more complex pathologies such as intellectual disability, ASD, or other disabilities.
A language delay can also have consequences for learning written language (reading and spelling); it is therefore necessary to act preventively. The doctor consulted may recommend more in-depth clinical examinations or support from specialized professionals (speech therapist, etc.).
How to promote language acquisition?
Simple principles can be put in place:
- Avoid talking to him like a baby as much as possible: use the right words, talk to him from his first days, imitate him, capture his attention.
- Be part of the exchange and interaction: ask him questions, encourage communication, stimulate him and respond to all his requests (by gestures, by facial expressions, by sounds, by words). This can only be beneficial while meeting their need for emotional security.
- Don’t neglect the evening routine and quiet times (necessary for your body to rest) to read stories. This can be an opportunity to talk about difficulties, resentments, family conflicts that are bothering him, or school concerns. Or on the contrary, to bring out little joys and successes in him that will help build his self-esteem.
- Opt for story boxes: stories to listen to or create to promote language acquisition and develop vocabulary and imagination!
- You are a so-called “dual culture” couple, so this is the ideal opportunity to teach your baby two languages at once. Language acquisition in children can be done in a binary manner and with great simplicity if each parent speaks their mother tongue to the child.
To summarize, you are the child’s privileged and essential interlocutor during his or her first months when all the foundations allowing the acquisition of language and communication are being put in place.