Beginning Sounds

Children from the ages of six months to two years begin to show indications of speech development. They will usually begin by babbling, which is characterized in young children as repetitive patterns of sound. This babbling is often interpreted as an imitation of the speech they hear from developed speakers.

When children make sounds which are recognizable to adult speakers as partial or complete words, we begin to speculate that they may also be attaching meaning to those sounds.

Theories of Acquisition

Most linguistic theories are internally sound. They provide an explanation that is true so long as that series of conditions remain consistent within the described structure.


Although there is much dispute over theories of language acquisition and many disagreements even between those who claim to adhere to the same theory, there are two major, distinctive theoretical positions in the study of language acquisition.

Traditional theories develop from the idea that the study of langauge should be data-driven. These theories assume that information concerning words, intention, and meaning can be readily and universally associated within the language.

The second kind of theory derives from a more recent understanding that language can be studied by applying the scientific method to a hypothesis concerning language or language use. It is response-driven, rather than based on traditional assumptions about what the raw data will mean to listeners and speakers.