Stages of Language Development

Keywords; Stages of Language Development,  Developmental Stages of Language Learning, Linguistic Development Stages, How Parents Facilitate Language Development, Characteristics of human language, Human language is arbitrary, Principle of Mother tongue learning, Language rules and meaning

Stages of Language Development

The language emerges remarkably in children. In a very short period of time a child can go from saying just a few words to suddenly producing full sentences. Research found that language development begins before a child is even born; in mother fetus the child is able to identify the speech and sound patterns of the mother and father voice

Researchers also found that infants are able to distinguish between speech sounds from all languages, not just the mother language. However, this ability disappears at the age of 10 months after that they recognize their native language.

Developmental Stages of Language Learning

Categorized in two categories

1. Physical Development

2. Psychological Development

Physical Development

These stages are divided into two categories:

1.    pre-linguistic

2.     linguistic

One month stage:

•      Learn language by moving of body parts

•      Recognizing sounds

•      The natural sounds that babies make, e.g. crying, and swallowing.

•      Show response to the sounds

Cooing and laughter (2-5 monthstage ):

These vocalizations usually occur when the baby is comfortable and happy.

Vocal play (4- month stage ):

•      Roll & raise head and legs

•      Produce sounds

•      Baby is Passive listener

Babbling:6-13 months stage

The first stage of language development is known as the pre-linguistic, babbling or cooing stage

The child is practicing individual sounds, and sound sequences, and gaining the motor skills

Linguistic Development

Early One Word Stage (12-19 months)

At this stage child try to properly talk about his needs & wants.

Around the age of 10 to 13 months, children will begin to produce their first real word

A child will typically understand much more than he or she can actually express

Later One Word Stage (14-24 months)

•      Child use actual words

•      child begins to name and label the objects and people around him

 For Examples common nouns  & proper nouns such as Cup, dog, hat

Dad, Mom and verbs such as go, sit, eat

The child may also use a few social words such as No, bye, please

The child use words combine with facial expression and actions to communicate  his massage clearly.

Two Word Stage (20-30 months)

At this stage the child begins to produce two-word combinations similar to the following.

Daddy car, Where daddy, Mom water

•      The Maximum use of nouns at this stage.

•      This is not surprising, as the child has spent a lot of time learning the names of objects and people

By the age of three year a child will have a vocabulary of approximately 3,000 words.

Three Word Stage (28-42 months)

At this stage of development children extend their two-word utterances by  incorporating at least another word…….

In reality children may add up to two more words, thereby creating utterances as long as four words.

He hit ball

You hit ball

It is at this stage that the child also begins to use the articles the, a and an

You hit a ball

 I want a candy

Four Word Stage (34-48 months)

From about 34 months the child begins to combine between four to six words in any one utterance.

Complex Utterance Stage (48-60 months)

The child regularly producing utterances of over six words in a sentence.

The concept of past and future time develops

We went to see him yesterday [past time]

Iqbal is going to school tomorrow  [future time]

At this stage at the age of five years the child:

•      Discuss his liking and disliking

•      Ego-centered

•      Explore his/her self through language

•      Ask confusing questions

How Parents Facilitate Language Development

Researchers have found that in all languages, parents utilize a style of speech with infants known as infant-directed speech. If you've ever heard someone speak to a baby, you'll probably immediately recognize this style of speech. It is characterized by a higher-pitched intonation, shortened or simplified vocabulary, shortened sentences and exaggerated vocalizations or expressions. Instead of saying "Let's go home," a parent might instead say "Go bye-bye."

Characteristics of human language

Social tool

•      Language is not essential for communication 

•      Communication is the purpose of language

•      Language enables us to communicate with other people andexchange ideas and desires with each other.

•      Language enables us to communicate With the people in our own culture and  With people from other cultures

•      Language is a communication tool With ancient cultures

Language is learned

•      Babies must hear and speak a language in order to learn it

•      Human language is arbitrary

•      There is no connection between the sound and the message

Human language is arbitrary

•      There is no connection between sound  & the message

•      Animal language is not arbitrary

•      An animal’s message and the sound cannot be separated

Sounds & meaning

•      Human sounds have basic sounds

•      English: A, B, C, D, etc.

•      English basic sounds can be combined to create new sounds. Cat,mat, pat, etc.

Language rules

•      All human languages have rules that guide how the parts of languages can be combined

•      With different rules different meaning

Language rules and meaning

•      Dog bites man.

•      Man bites dog.

•      Creativity

•      Humans can talk about any topic etc

•      PAST, Future

•      Creating new sentences

•      Things can be called by more than one name

Grammar rules

Word order

For example Take the words: ate, I, lunch

The proper order  “I ate lunch’”

Language is Symbolic

•      Set of verbal symbols stand for real objects, actions, concepts

•      Human language is a social Activity

•       Gives expression to thoughts

Principle of Mother tongue learning

Principle of Practice

•      Give opportunities for practice in class

Principle of Imitation

•      Child Imitates parents, teacher is model for students

Principle of Natural order

•      Practice the sound

•      Teach Words

•      Sentences

Principle of Exposure

•      Learn in home, community

Principle of Understanding

•      Child Listen for Months than speak

Principle of Proper order

•      Listening

•      Speaking

•      Reading

•      Writing

Principle of practicality

•      Practicality in Learning

•      Associate words to Picture, objects

Principle of Correlation

•      Relate subject matter to life, traditions. Meaningful  teaching

Principle of Translation