He language development in the baby It is a broad and complex process that seeks to establish a means of verbal communication, which occurs during approximately the first six years of life, at which time the language is more or less similar to that of adults.
We have already seen that there are different theories about language acquisition, such as cognitivism or innatism. Now the time has come to see how it develops.
We will see how, little by little, babies are developing a tool that will be useful to express their feelings, frustrations or desires through verbal communication.
First month
During the first month of life, babies emit certain sounds, such as screams, cough occasionally or even hiccups (that is, have hiccups, to later emit guttural sounds (sounds that the baby makes in his throat) and later, they begin to make sounds similar to vowels.
Babies in this one do not have oral language, but that does not mean they do not communicate; To do this, they use different types of crying to express their feelings (hunger, sleep, discomfort ...).
Babies understand quite a lot during this first month of life, since they are able to respond to loud sounds by frowning and producing rhythm changes in their breathing (they understand that there is a change in their environment). Likewise, in response to a voice that reassures them, their crying is less intense, even being able to cease. They also move, smile or have a more vivid expression before familiar sounds, and especially to the voice of their mother.
Second month
It is from second month when babies begin to have logical signs to express hunger, affliction, pleasure ... Likewise, they begin to use the sounds "a", "e" and "or" as vocalizations of pleasure, in addition to beginning to emit the sounds "j "," k "and" g ". It is now also when he begins to imitate casual movements of opening his mouth and / or sticking out his tongue.
On the other hand, at a comprehensive level a great advance is noticed, since it responds to several sounds (especially to the mother's voice) ceasing what she is doing at that moment. It also changes the expression on his face, makes his movements slower or turns his head slightly if we make a soft noise near him, without seeing us.
It is now also when he manages to pay attention to the voices, showing a change in his eyes (he looks for who is speaking) and in his face (since smiles occur), trying to locate the source of the sound.
When we sing a song or cuddle and he likes it, the little one looks, emits sounds, increases his activity and smiles to make us see that this behavior gives him happiness and pleasure. In addition, to communicate this state, and not being able to say it through words, the baby lets us know by emitting vowel sounds like "aaaaaa".
Third month
Already at end of the first quarter the child begins to use up to four different open vocalizations, such as "aaaaaa" or "eeeeeee", in addition to making vocalizations of up to four different syllables using the sounds "k" and "g" (of the type "kakakaka") or "gagagaga").
It is from this third month when our son or daughter is able to attend a person who speaks and performs some kind of gesticulation for at least a minute of time. This will allow you to react appropriately to the tone of the person speaking or some of the facial expressions he or she performs.
Also, when something is being told, he responds by looking directly at the speaker; the little one looks at the lips and mouth of the person speaking to him, listening to him and focusing his attention for an increasingly prolonged period of time.
Thanks to this maturation process of the different linguistic abilities, you will be able to smile in response to the speaker or protest in response to some actions depending on whether they are pleasant or not. You can also respond by vocalizing sound stimulation, conversation and physical contact, vocalizing in response to the presence of sounds.
Conclusion
Apart from these advances in the area of language that we have been able to differentiate according to the age of the baby, in a parallel and continuous way in this first quarter there is a great advance in other aspects of the child. For example, as it matures, it shows a firmer swallowing; that is, we can see that he chokes less. It also performs tongue movements after meals.
This would be a small summary of the language development in the baby during the first three months of life. Little by little we will see how, as it grows and matures, it will develop several aspects such as expression and understanding of language. Remember that if you have any questions about the normal development of your child's language, you can ask your question in our Babies section and more Answers
