Language Development

During early childhood, children come to understand and produce the language or languages they are exposed to. This process is called language development. Language development is a multifaceted task that involves learning the repertoire of sounds of one’s language (phonology), learning the vocabulary of one’s language (lexicon), learning how to combine words together to create meaningful sentences (grammar), and learning how to communicate effectively with others using language (pragmatics). This entry focuses on typically developing children learning one first language, and highlights accomplishments in each area of language development across the early childhood period. It then discusses the close relationship between language and literacy development and the important role that parents and preschool teachers can play in children’s language development.