Language is the systematic arrangement of symbols that has meaning, and one of the means by which we communicate.
Receptive language (0 months to one year) is when infants "take in, organize, and understand experience" (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2007). As infants, they listen to the sounds, sound patterns, pitches, and rhythms around them. Gradually, after the "awareness of sound" stage, they begin to understand that sounds connect to events, objects, and meaning (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2007).
Expressive language (end of the first year to beginning of first words) is the time when children actually send signals and verbal messages. For example, children will cry when they want to communicate that they need something. After they send these types of vocal signals, children gradually move to learning words and using them to indicate their feelings and needs (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2007).
Language development: What happens when?
Birth to 3 Months
Hearing/Understanding: Children will awaken to loud sounds, startle, or cry. Children will listen to speech, turn to you when you speak, smile when spoken to, and recognize your voice and quiet down if crying.
Talking: Children will make pleasure sounds, smile when he or she sees you, cry differently for different needs, and repeat some sounds a lot (i.e. cooing; Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2007).
4 to 6 Months
Hearing/Understanding: Children at this age will respond to tone of voice (loud or soft), notice noise or sound from toys, and look around for sound (e.g. phone ringing, dog barking).
Talking: They will make gurgling sounds when alone, tell you (by sound or gesture) to repeat something, and use speech or non-crying sounds to get and keep your attention (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2007).
7 months to 1 Year
Hearing/Understanding: Children enjoy games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake, listen when spoken to, and recognize words for common items like “juice,” cup,” or “doll.”
Talking: Children will have 1 or 2 words (byebye, no, dada), imitate different speech sounds, and their babbling will have both long and short groups of sounds such as “tata, upup, bibibibi" (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2007).
1 to 2 Years
Hearing/Understanding: Children at this stage will follow simple commands and understand simple questions, point to a few body parts when asked, and point to pictures in a book when they are named.
Talking: They can use many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words, put two words together, and use one- to two-word questions (i.e. “Where kitty?”; Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2007).
2 to 3 Years
Hearing/Understanding: Children can follow two requests, continue to notice sounds (telephone ringing, TV sound), and understand the differences in meaning (“go-stop,” “in-on”).
Talking: Children will ask for or direct your attention to objects by naming them, use two-three-word “sentences” to talk about and ask for things, and has words for almost everything. Their speech is understood most of the time (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2007).
3 to 4 Years
Hearing/Understanding: Children at this age can complete two-step requests, repeat what they understand, and understand more extensive conversations.
Talking: Children are likely to make requests, ask questions, and play with words. Children can also carry longer conversations and use language to express their feelings (Bardige & Segal, 2000).
4 to 5 Years
Hearing/Understanding: Children can complete multi-step tasks, use inner language to make plans, and solve problems.
Talking: Children at this stage are able to make up stories, recount events, recite rhymes, and memorize words. They also begin to ask many “why” questions and appreciate word play, such as repeating jokes (Bardige & Segal, 2000).
