Language Development

By melanieryoung

  • Prenatal Development

    By the end of the second trimester, the fetus can be irritated as well as stimulated by sounds.

  • Birth-1 month

    Communicates by crying, reacts to loud noises and shows preference for certain sounds.

  • 1-4months

    Babies have a different cry for different needs and makes cooing noises. Reacts to sounds.

  • 6 months

    Babies laugh, babbles and are more vocal when excited or displeased.

  • 9 months

    Makes noises to get attention and uses gestures to communicate such as lifting arms to be picked up.

  • 1 year

    Has said first word, has a few more words, imitates different sounds and can understand request. Uses one word to convey entire thought.

  • 2 years old

    Vocabulary has increased 50-300 words, can put two words together and understands more than what he/she can verbalize.

  • 3 years old

    Talks about actions, adds information, answers simple questions appropriately and joins in social interactions. Vocabulary increases 300-1000 words.

  • 4 years old

    Uses almost entirely intelligible speech, produces elaborate sentence structures and changes tone of voice depending on listener.

  • 5 years old

    Vocabulary has reached 1,500 words or more. Identify colors, uses functional definitions and can produce sentences with five to seven words.

  • 6 years old

    Talks nonstop, carries on adult like conversation, learns 5-10 new words each day, uses appropriate verb tenses, word order and sentence structure. Uses verbal self-expression.

  • 7 years old

    Engages in storytelling, becomes more elaborate in the use of language and uses verbal exaggeration.

  • 8 years old

    Can converse fluently with adults, uses language to criticize and compliment others and likes to tell jokes.

  • 11-12 years old.

    Majority of the language development is complete by the end of this stage. Vocabulary increases 4,000-5,000 words, can understand implied statements, comprehends irony and sarcasm. Has the ability to switch language styles depending who he/she is speaking to.

  • 9-10 years old

    Expresses emotions and feelings with words, uses common words that are used by peers and can recognize when a sentence is not grammatically correct.