What is language? Why is Speech and Language Development Important?
 |  |
What Are the Stages of Language Development in Early Childhood?
Language Development Support Strategies
Early Education: “Make sure the adults around your child are supporting their language development properly!”
What is language? Why is Speech and Language Development Important?
Language is a system of communication, which has its own rules and develops within the framework of these rules, provides communication between people, was developed in verbal or written form, and is woven with sounds and symbols. It is one of the most basic features that make a human. Language is the most powerful communication tool used in learning/transmitting human thoughts, feelings, experiences, and knowledge. Language, which is an indispensable and integral part of daily life, is a system of sound signs that produces between 50,000 and 100,000 words by adults. Language, which is a very complex concept, is directly related to brain development. “Neurolinguistics” and “Neuroscience” in medicine explore the connection between the brain and language.
Linguistics, on the other hand, is the science that examines the structure, development, spread of languages in the world and the relations between them in terms of sound, form, meaning, and sentence knowledge. Every language consists of components that are universally accepted, and linguists examine within the framework of these components: Phonology (phonology), which studies sounds, Morphology (morphology), which studies words, Syntax (syntax), which studies sentences, Semantics (semantics) which studies meaning, and Pragmatics, which studies the context in which language is used.
Humans’ acquaintance with language dates back to the prenatal period. While the baby is in the womb, it starts to hear the sounds coming from the environment. In other words, the fetus in the mother’s womb receives the first verbal warnings from its parents and its environment.When it is born, it is familiar with the sounds it has heard before, but language development is a process that progresses with the birth of the child. The baby interacts with its environment at birth, tends to perceive and react to environmental stimuli, and imitates the sounds it hears. In sum, children tend to use language and communicate with their environment from birth.
Language development in early childhood is one of the most prioritized and important developmental areas that directly affect children’s future social and academic lives. Early childhood (pre-school period) is considered a period in which the child explores his environment using language and tries to express himself through language.
The terms “acquisition” and “learning” are often used interchangeably in language. However, these two terms are quite different, although they feed off each other. Children “acquire language” while they are still conscious of the grammar rules. In the language acquisition process, they repeat what they are told, they move forward by feeling what is right and what is wrong. In order to acquire a language, children often need communication resources such as parents, family relatives, preschool teachers/trainers, or caregivers. Language learning is provided by teaching the rules of the language. Language learning is not suitable for early childhood because language learning presupposes that students are conscious of the new language and can talk about it. Children who successfully complete language development in early childhood are more advantageous in learning the language at school.
Speech, language, and communication are critical developmental areas for children. These vital skills are essential to living a healthy life, they help us understand our world and what’s going on around us, communicate our basic needs and emotions, converse, think and learn, develop relationships, solve problems, and more. They also support many other aspects of development, including cognitive, social, and literacy development. In order for children to learn to read when they reach school age, they must first speak, develop their language, and language is the main way that knowledge is transmitted, learned, and understood from teachers to students. Therefore, it should be aimed that children have successfully completed certain stages for language acquisition in early childhood. Thus, they can learn effectively during the school process.
Language development is quite complex. The good news is that children are programmed to be able to do this, but they need a lot of stimulus from adults to “start the language acquisition process”. These stimuli need to be from a real person, directly and face-to-face, because children cannot effectively acquire language from television or computer games that they cannot interact with, even with “educational content”. At the same time, it is important that these stimuli are presented with the right tools and methods that will support the language development of the child in accordance with the age of the child.
As a result, the more we talk to a child (or a baby) and support their language correctly, the more progress they will make. Both parents and other adults who support a child’s development in early childhood can play an important role in helping to improve children’s language development if they act consciously by understanding the stages of language acquisition.
What Are the Stages of Language Development in Early Childhood?
Language development in early childhood tends to go through several stages. A classification was created to describe language acquisition in children depending on the time factor and to show these phases. This classification is primarily divided into “pre-speech period” and “speaking period”. Understanding these phases in both periods—recognizing each milestone in language development—helps parents and early childhood educators choose the right strategies for children’s speech and language development.
Language development stages:
Pre-speech period
Newborn (crying)
Babbling (2-3 months)
Humming/Babbling (3-6 months)
Repetition of Babbling (6-9 months)
Sound, word (9-12 months)
Speaking period
One word (12-18 months)
Two-word phrases (18-24 months)
Expressions of three or more words (2-3 years old)
Speaking in accordance with grammar rules (3-6 years old)
Pre-speech period:
Newborn (crying)
Crying is the first step in language development. Crying, which is the first sound the baby makes at birth, is physiologically considered as the “child’s breathing”. When babies cry, they unconsciously make various sounds that they will use as they grow up. Crying is considered an involuntary response of babies to show their discomfort. But crying is more than that. Crying is also a tool that shows the baby’s need to communicate with his parents and his environment.
Babbling (2-3 months)
In this period when the development of mouth-muscle control continues, babies make sounds that express happiness in addition to simple sounds and sounds that express their discomfort. They prolong the “a, o, u” sounds they randomly produce, and over time they add the “h” sound to these sounds and produce sounds like “ah, uh”. In addition to these, they also produce palate sounds such as “g, k, s”.
Humming/Babbling (3-6 months)
Babies begin to gain control over their voice systems during this period. From the fourth month they experiment with sounds and their control over the sound increases with each passing day. It is accepted that a baby in this stage reveals his first words (such as ma-, da-da, ba-, de-de) by “combining vowel sounds with consonants” towards the sixth month.
Repetition of Babbling (6-9 months)
In this stage, which is also referred to as “repetition of sound games”, the sounds that babies make develop towards syllable production. Around the sixth month, babies begin to make universal sounds that are similar to each other and do not differ by species or region. They become aware of their own names and recognize frequently repeated words such as ‘mama’, ‘dada’, ‘dede’. If the parents, family elders, and other people responsible for education/care around the child repeat or react to these sounds, they can support the child to have an enjoyable experience and to gain speech.
Speaking period:
The speaking period consists of five phases. These are 1. sound-word period (9-12 months), 2. single-word period (12-18 months), 3. two-word phrases period (18-24 months), 4. three or more-word phrases period ( 2-3 years old) and 5. the speaking period in accordance with the grammar rules (3-6 years).
Sound, word (9-12 months)
A baby at this stage begins to make fluent sounds. He mutters frequently and creates long sequences that resemble adult speech. These series almost replace words for them. It contains sounds that are not understood but have a certain rhythm, reminiscent of a straight sentence or a question sentence.
One word (12-18 months)
This stage is the first stage that makes you feel the start of language development. It is also known as the Holophrastic stage. A child at this stage may begin to say common words. Around the twelfth month, children begin to repeat the words they hear. Children grasp these single words through “association and experience”. For example, if a child’s father has curly hair, the child assumes that he can be the father of all curly-haired men and points to a man he sees on the street and says, “Dad!”. It is a stage when children begin to understand words, although not fully yet. In this period when children say their first words, words are like sentences. For example, the child may express a desire to “go out” by saying “bye-bye”. In this stage, when they manage to fit their feelings or wishes into a single word, babies’ vocabulary develops rapidly. It is a stage in which receptive language develops faster than expressive language, that is, concept development progresses faster than language development.
Two-word phrases (18-24 months)
This period is also known as the “Telegraphic Speech” and “Emergence of Speech” period. Children’s vocabulary learning speed is quite high at this stage. While the child can say a few words around the age of twelve months, this number increases around the age of two and the child’s vocabulary reaches between fifty-hundred words. A child in this stage adds new words to the words he knows every day and starts to form two-word sentences over time. The child can use an expression in many meanings and purposes, as in the single word period. The close people who closely observe the child can figure out the child’s use of words and what he wants and can communicate comfortably with her/him.
Expressions of three or more words (2-3 years old)
Children begin to use grammar elements around the age of two, and the grammar structure of children at this stage develops rapidly. Between the ages of two and a half to four, children’s desire to speak and ask questions increases. Although not very fluent, it is possible for a child in this period to start forming sentences by putting together three or four words. The child begins to carry out small uncomplicated commands and answer simple questions. As he approaches the age of three, he comprehends the basic structure of language and demonstrates the ability to use the words he knows correctly.
Speaking in accordance with grammar rules (3-6 years old)
The number of words that the child at this stage uses/knows is considered to be a thousand, and most of what they say is understandable. At this stage, when they grasp the basic structure of their mother tongue and “egocentric speech” is dominant, children begin to construct sentences properly. They manage to use the subject, object, and predicate in a sentence sequentially and understand the relationship between them. They can construct simple sentences and interrogative sentences in the past and present tense. They can also make sentences with negative and passive verbs. They approach conversations with adults step by step.
Language Development Support Strategies
Here are some strategies you can use to encourage your early childhood children to develop their language. You can enrich these seven strategies with some changes by putting your own child’s uniqueness at the center. Everything you do or every step you take, based on scientific evidence, to support your children’s language development in this critical phase (ages 0-6), when their brain development is the fastest, is a wonderful gift that prepares them for their future lives.
Be a Good Role Model
Children often learn by observing and imitating adults in their immediate environment. That’s why you need to make sure you model as much correct speech and correct language skills as possible.
To be the right role model, you can consider the following recommendations:
Speak slowly, so your child has time to perceive the information you provide clearly and calmly. In order not to get lost in the complex world of language -especially in the first years- be careful to use short sentences. Make eye contact and get down to your child’s height to allow him to observe you comfortably. Be sure to model correct pronunciation and correct sentence structure, pronouncing each word and sound(for example, saying “I will” rather than “I’ll”). Thus, you help your child learn to speak correctly. Make it a habit not to use “baby words”. If you make it a habit to use baby words, your children will need to learn adult versions of words from others somehow. Instead, it is possible for them to accelerate their language/speech development by learning from you. See objects and actions around you as an opportunity to teach him more words.Make use of descriptive expressions of objects as well. For example, “Look at that dog!”, “This is a beautiful picture!”. Listen carefully when your child is talking to you and do not interrupt. Take care to pause after your question sentences so that he can answer. So you can teach him that both listening and speaking are sequential actions. Show them different ways of expressing emotions by making use of gestures while speaking.
Read to Them
Reading to our children at an early age is extremely effective for language development. If possible, try to read every day (reading is helpful even for babies under six months, but especially effective between 2-6 years old).Point to words as you read. This helps children connect the spoken word to the written word and develops literacy. Talk about each page you read to encourage the child to talk. Use a different intonation for each character as you read the books, include them in the book by showing the pictures and letting the child guess what will happen next. Your child may ask you to read the same book over and over again. Get this request done. This is great for getting kids to really absorb the language and testing if they can finish sentences for you. As your child starts to grow, read children’s books on different subjects to expand their vocabulary, along with their favorite books. Talk to them about words he doesn’t know, ask him if he knows what the words mean, and if he doesn’t, explain.
Talk to Them
Talking to a child as much as possible and communicating with unconditional love will help their language development. Even if your child can’t talk to you, you should talk to them. From birth, you should chat about what you do and ask him questions, responding to the sounds he makes as if he were speaking a sentence. This way, you model how speech happens and expose him to many words and sentence structures to become familiar with. To make your speech even more effective, consider the following: When parents talk to their babies, they speak in a different and specific tone of voice. This is called baby language. Parents who speak the baby language have a high-pitched voice. The expressions on their faces are also a bit exaggerated. Think of it as a kind of theatrical communication loaded with love. Babies are more likely to adapt to the baby language and listen to what you say, thereby accelerating their language development. Before speaking, call your child by their name (and teach them their name) to get the attention. Repeat what your child has said and use it correctly in a sentence. For example, if he says “Cab”, “Yes, look at that red car over there.” you can say. Giving the child complete sentences helps them learn more about grammar.
Take advantage of parallel conversation. Parallel speech is the verbal expression of what the child does, without waiting for a response from the child and when you are in the same environment with the child, in accordance with the child’s language skill level.. With this talk, you let the child hear what he is doing and help him make sense of his current experience. For example, “You are wearing this beautiful blue dress today.”, “You are playing with your toy car and the giraffe.” You can also benefit from the self-talk strategy. For example, “I’m collecting toys because it’s time to go home.” You can describe your own actions like this.
When your child makes mistakes in using language, you should still appreciate it. Language development is a difficult process that takes time. Even if he makes a mistake, you can reward him with “Well done” for his effort from time to time. Then you can repeat what he said to correct his mistake. For example, if your child says “He dog”, you can find the missing word and say “Yes, he has a dog”.
You can also set a planned speaking schedule for your child. Words will come across naturally in daily life, but you can speed up language development by doing some planning. For example, during these six months you may decide to study daily routines, animals, parts of the human body, food and drink, colors. You can support this plan with books and games. Talk to your child a lot. Follow his language development closely and enrich your speech according to his level of development.
Sing With Them
Immerse yourself in the irresistible sweetness of children’s songs. Because singing songs is a lot of fun, especially for babies and toddlers, and it’s also very important. You can really help their language development by supporting them with songs to distinguish sounds, memorize them, improve their memory and expand their vocabulary. As with reading, pause before the end of a songline, have the children fill in the blank. You should sing along and give him/her various instruments—YouTube, music CDs, play children’s songs using musical toys… etc. Whether it’s songs you made up or already published songs, you should bring them together with music and lullabies from the moment they are born. Let your child have fun and improve their language skills with songs.
Play With Them
Games are great language activities. Children learn most effectively through games. You can support your child’s language development with age-appropriate and intriguing games. Surround your life with games for your child in early childhood. Because games not only support children’s language development, they also give them many vital skills. Incorporate many game genres into your life, such as board games, role games, object hiding games, age-appropriate guessing games, puzzles.
Ready-made toys are not necessary for playing games. You can create the games yourself, or for better, you can accompany your child in the games they created. “I have four legs and I am a pet. I like to bark. So, who am I?” You can create guessing games by finding questions such as, or you can create games with your children. Role-playing games are perfect for enriching children’s vocabulary. Children imitate life with role plays. They dress up as a favorite book hero or as a character of their own imagination and write their own stories. By taking part in this story, you can find many creative ways to support him in language development. You can participate as a side character in role plays that your child starts and plays the leading role. For example, when he plays the doctor, “I can be your patient. What do you say?” You can say and join the doctor game. Thus, you will have the opportunity to introduce your child to new words that he does not know, to discover terms together, and to chat with him at the same time.
Discover Rhymes
Nursery rhymes are key to language development, just like singing. Nursery rhymes remind us of the rhythm of life and that is why they are loved by everyone. They are rhyming, poetic expressions that make important contributions to the development of language and make people love to read. Children’s songs, children’s poems, and nursery rhymes, which are among the indispensable elements of the games, support not only the development of language in the child but also the development of emotions and imagination. Make sure that the nursery rhymes you choose are suitable for your child’s age, language development level, is catchy, and do not contain slang expressions. You can use the books to bring him together with the right nursery rhymes. You can sing and memorize the rhymes together and ask questions that will encourage your child to think about what is being said in the nursery rhyme.
Create a Language-Rich Environment
To maximize your child’s language development opportunity, make sure the environment you provide is conducive to quality communication. This means creating an environment that is as organized as possible, decorated with stimuli that will facilitate your child’s learning, that allows you to focus on your child, and is free from unnecessary noise. Studies have shown that tidy rooms help children learn better. Hang colorful images that match words and images that are interesting to look at (not overwhelming) on the walls in your child’s room. Strive to have books, games, and toys that are age-appropriate and intriguing in their room. Do not allow the communication you will establish with your child in your home environment to be damaged by noisy devices such as television or by loud conversations of the guests who come to the house.Create quiet areas that will facilitate your communication with your child. For example, a play tent would be very useful. In that tent, you can read books and play games by focusing only on each other.
We hope the seven strategies above will give you a good starting point to support your child’s language development. You can discover more.
Early Education: “Make sure the adults around your child are supporting their language development properly!”
Dear parents,
As Early Education, we have established this website to trigger children’s innate curiosity, to offer them the opportunity to learn through games “in the comfort of their own home and under the guidance of expert trainers” and thus develop their language and communication skills in the best way. We took the negative experiences we had as parents as our guide, and we learned from our mistakes. For example, we have personally experienced that language development is directly linked to the adults around our children. We have experienced that a caregiver whose mother tongue is different and does not speak your mother tongue well enough, or a careless/indifferent care service can do more harm than good to the development processes of your child’s mother tongue and communication skills, and we immediately looked for alternative solutions. When we couldn’t find satisfactory solutions, we decided to create the solution and establish an Early Education website.
If you suspect a problem with your child’s language development during the preschool period, it’s important to take action. Because delayed language development can cause your child to have difficulties in learning and making friends in later life, and to exhibit behavior problems. On the other hand, early intervention – first meeting your child with a pediatrician to identify the causes of the problem and then with the right educators – can provide very effective help. Such intervention may alleviate the effects of a delay or impairment in language development. Signs of a language problem may include: a child’s lack of attention, poor eye contact, avoidance of speech, making the same mistakes over and over while talking for a long time, being unable to follow simple tasks or instructions, difficulty learning rhymes or simple songs, etc.
Early childhood is the most critical period for the acquisition of basic skills. During this period, you should strive to find the best ways to support your children’s development. You need to make sure that the adults around them properly support their language development and communicate compassionately with your children. You should choose the right people to support the education/care of your children. If necessary, you should not hesitate to train those people and teach them the scientific facts and advice you have learned. And remember, you always have a very good solution for the development of your preschool children: “Early Education”. We are here to ensure that your children meet with our expert trainers while you fulfill your obligations related to home or work.
Parents and trainers who want to join the Pre-Education family or want to get detailed information about our services can reach us by filling out the application forms on our website.