Major Events in Language Learning

By natalieryan98

  • Prenatal development

    Fetus learns speech sounds of mother's language.
  • Period: to

    Birth - 5 years

  • Cooing (2 months)

    Infants begin in coo using vowel sounds.

  • Babble (6 months)

    Infants begin to add consonants to their coo sounds and repeat syllables.

  • Babble with sound patterns of spoken language (7 months)

    Infants add sound patterns from spoken language into their babble.

  • Joint attention (8-12 months)

    Infants attend to the same object as their parent/caregiver.

  • Preverbal gestures (8-12 months)

    Infants use preverbal gestures to interact with adults and convey information.

  • First word (1 year)

    Toddler produces first word.

  • 2 word utterances (18-24 months)

    Otherwise known as telegraphic speech, vocabulary increases.

  • 200-250 word vocabulary (18-24 months)

    Toddlers vocabulary expands rapidly.

  • Use of pronouns (2 years)

    Child begins using pronouns to describe people.

  • Stringing words together into sentences (3 years)

    Child can produce sentences that are understandable.

  • Complex sentences (4 years)

    Child can produce complex sentences and follow complex instructions.

  • Child can produce narratives (5-7 years)

    Child can produce narratives with chronological order.

  • Adult-like conversations (8 years)

    Child can speak in adult conversations.

  • Jokes and riddles (7-9 years)

    Child uses language socially by using jokes and riddles.

  • Child comprehends idioms and and comprehends written tests. (9-12 years)

    Child's comprehension grows in maturity.