Nursery World - Gift of the gab (1)

Children's speech development is like a journey with the same destination whatever language they are using, says Penny Tassoni - but success depends on their guides The journey of how children learn language is a fascinating one. It is a two-part journey that follows more or less the same route regardless of the language that a child is being brought up in.

The journey of how children learn language is a fascinating one. It is a two-part journey that follows more or less the same route regardless of the language that a child is being brought up in.

Packing suitcases

The first year of a baby's linguistic life could be compared to the packing stage of a journey. The baby collects up the skills that will be needed to communicate effectively. This stage is often referred to as the pre-linguistic stage. In this first year, no 'proper' words are likely to be spoken, but the baby will be learning how to make eye contact, draw the attention of the listener through intonation and to use facial expressions.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included