Frequently Asked Questions & Common Misconceptions.
Which letters will my child be able to say first?
Vowels are usually acquired before consonants. The first consonants a child usually acquires are p,b,m,t,d,n,k and g.
Children will often simplify words by deleting one or more sounds from a word, omit final consonants, substitute difficult sounds with easier ones, usually from one of the first vowels and consonants they learn. Children will assimilate or modify a consonant because the sound is influenced by a neighboring sound.
If a child experiences initial difficulty in producing certain sounds or words, there's nothing generally to worry about. They usually correct this as they develop their language skills.
Children will often simplify words by deleting one or more sounds from a word, omit final consonants, substitute difficult sounds with easier ones, usually from one of the first vowels and consonants they learn. Children will assimilate or modify a consonant because the sound is influenced by a neighboring sound.
If a child experiences initial difficulty in producing certain sounds or words, there's nothing generally to worry about. They usually correct this as they develop their language skills.
Will a second language damage my child's ability to learn their first language?
No, definitely not. This is a common misconception. Children do tend to pick up both languages very easily and can successfully learn both languages at once. If learning both languages from a young age, the child may mix up languages, but by around the age of four, they realize that they do speak more than one language and this behaviour is corrected as the child grows up.
Should I use parentese on my baby?
Definitely! Research has shown that babies respond well to parentese and that it can actually help develop their language skills because they can see the way you produce sounds and hear the sounds you make clearly. It is engaging and fun for the child and as long as you continue to challenge the child, parentese won't cause any long-term damage to your child.
Why does my child make babbling sounds?
Children make babbling sounds from birth and continue to do so until they reach the one and two word utterance stage. These babbling sounds are innate and occur in all language globally. Babbling in a baby is natural, but anything longer than the one to two word utterances may indicate a learning difficulty or the child may have hearing problems, which can also contribute to a lack of proper speech development.
Is the language acquisition process the same for all children?
Yes. Children acquire language in the same way, regardless of what language they use or the number of languages they know. If you think about learning a language as the same as learning to play a game, you understand that you obviously need to learn the rules of the game (or language) before you can play the game (or speak the language). In learning the rules of the language, the child needs to learn how to articulate words and put them together in a way that others around them can understand.
You need to remember that children don't use language in the same way as adults, simply because they are not adults. Children acquiring language is a lengthy process and one that involves a lot of trial and error in learning what is an acceptable part of language. This trial and error process should not be corrected, because it doesn't help the child learn language in any real way. Instead, let the child just make these 'errors' because they generally disappear in time.
You need to remember that children don't use language in the same way as adults, simply because they are not adults. Children acquiring language is a lengthy process and one that involves a lot of trial and error in learning what is an acceptable part of language. This trial and error process should not be corrected, because it doesn't help the child learn language in any real way. Instead, let the child just make these 'errors' because they generally disappear in time.