History and function of Language:
Every human culture has dependent upon words, either spoken or written, in most cases both. Words are used to describe discoveries and ideas, to communicate to people across generations, ever expanding the wealth of human knowledge and experience. The whole world is built upon language.
It is believed that children learn to speak by imitating the language structures they hear. When baby's first learn to speak, they use a completely different part of the brain than adults learning a foreign language. This is the reason why it is such an effort for adults to learn new languages whereas children do it with ease. To create just one single word requires the coordination of over 30 different muscles. Children have a distinctive knack for language. Throughout evolution, children have faced great danger at young ages, the quicker they learn language and the better they understand warning the higher the likelihood of their survival. Language has given us a precise advantage over other animals.
At 0-3 months, a child recognizes voices. The first stage of child language acquisition is babbling. Babbling occurs from approximately 3-12 months, for more information visit the 'Babbling Stage' tab at the top of the website. The second stage is the one word stage which occurs from approximately 12-18 months, 'One Word Stage' tab for more details. The third stage is the two word stage which occurs around 18-24 months, visit the 'Two Word Stage' tab for more information. The fourth and final stage of child language acquisition is the Telegraphic stage, which usually occurs from 24-30 months, for more details about this stage visit the 'Telegraphic Stage' tab.
Every human culture has dependent upon words, either spoken or written, in most cases both. Words are used to describe discoveries and ideas, to communicate to people across generations, ever expanding the wealth of human knowledge and experience. The whole world is built upon language.
It is believed that children learn to speak by imitating the language structures they hear. When baby's first learn to speak, they use a completely different part of the brain than adults learning a foreign language. This is the reason why it is such an effort for adults to learn new languages whereas children do it with ease. To create just one single word requires the coordination of over 30 different muscles. Children have a distinctive knack for language. Throughout evolution, children have faced great danger at young ages, the quicker they learn language and the better they understand warning the higher the likelihood of their survival. Language has given us a precise advantage over other animals.
At 0-3 months, a child recognizes voices. The first stage of child language acquisition is babbling. Babbling occurs from approximately 3-12 months, for more information visit the 'Babbling Stage' tab at the top of the website. The second stage is the one word stage which occurs from approximately 12-18 months, 'One Word Stage' tab for more details. The third stage is the two word stage which occurs around 18-24 months, visit the 'Two Word Stage' tab for more information. The fourth and final stage of child language acquisition is the Telegraphic stage, which usually occurs from 24-30 months, for more details about this stage visit the 'Telegraphic Stage' tab.