Language is a learned skill that starts very young. Some researchers say it starts in the womb. "A return kick to a tummy rub, a punch to a loud song, these are the earliest forms of communication. The awareness of speech sounds is also developing at this time."(Chasse, 2008). There are various ways that newborns begin to communicate after birth. Not only is the development of the newborns communications dependent on its own achievements, it is also greatly influenced by the people around them. I will discuss the use of baby talk and babbling, that develop throughout the first couple years of life.
One of the first stages in the development of language for an infant is baby talk. As defined by our text, baby talk is the high-pitched, simplified, and repetitive ways adults talk to infants. (Berger, 2005). Unlike what the term sounds like, baby talk is actually the way parents or people around the infant communicate with them.
Newborn child, seconds after birth. The umbilical ...
infant
HappyThis has been found to be very beneficial to the progression of an infant's communication development. Infants are constantly listening. The only way that a newborn knows how to communicate at this point is to cry. When the baby is introduced to other sounds and noises, this stimulates the infant's cognitive natural instinct to listen and mimic the sounds. This verbal stimulus will provide a crucial foundation for the infant to build upon its communications with the outside world.
After time of listening to baby talk, an infant will start to mimic the sounds. This is called babbling. "Through interactions with caregivers and other members of their community and environment, babies mirror and learn early language skills." (Chasse, 2008). This is when the infant will start to produce one to two syllable sounds. These multi-syllable sounds will eventually turn into...