Chapter 5 – First Words and Language Development

Words are not the only way we communicate. Gestures, facial expressions, and looks allow us to express feelings and moods very effectively. It is through body language that the newborn begins to interact with parents in the first months of life, accompanied by unarticulated vocalizations and crying. These are their first tools to attract the attention of mom and dad and to communicate their needs. Just like motor development, there is no precise age when a child begins to babble, i.e., to pronounce syllables made of vowels and consonants like ma-ma-ma or pa-pa-pa, or to say their first meaningful words. Rather, there are wide time windows and a great margin of variability depending on the child’s individual predisposition and exposure to environmental stimuli, primarily the encouragement from parents.

In the first months the baby does not communicate intentionally. When crying or reaching out towards something they want, they are simply expressing their needs using the skills they have already developed. However, when mom or dad responds to these cues, they reinforce the baby’s confidence that their actions will get a response. This gradually teaches the child to make intentional gestures (deictic gestures), aimed at another human being. The baby will extend their arm, opening and closing their hand to show they want something. They may also show or hand an object to the adult, or point to something they can’t reach.

Around 6 months many babies begin to understand the meaning of certain frequently repeated words in specific contexts, such as “water” when offered a bottle. Between 4 and 10 months, many begin to babble intentionally, and by 10 months, over 50% of babies say their first intelligible word, though about 25% reach their first birthday without yet uttering one (17).

The transition from babbling to first words is gradual and often depends on how parents interpret it (18): for example, if the baby says “be-be-be” while pointing at the bottle, they may be babbling or attempting to say “bottle.”

How can language development be encouraged?

While babies are innately predisposed to language, to fully express their potential they need to be immersed in a “sound bath”—not just words, but also conversation, noises, singing, and laughter. They won’t learn to speak passively by listening to adult monologues or by watching adults talk on screens. They need stimulating and engaging conversations with their caregivers (19).

The more a child is encouraged to engage, the faster the learning process will be. Here are some practical tips parents can start using right away:

• Speak to the baby in a loving tone while maintaining eye contact throughout the interaction. This keeps the baby engaged and “tuned in” with the parent, responding with vocalizations and movements.
• Narrate daily activities using simple phrases, exaggerating certain sounds (e.g., extending vowels: “Here comes the paaapaaa,” “so much peeepeee”) to capture attention.
• Play together using everyday sound-making objects (spoons, lids, etc.).
• Assign sound labels to specific objects and emphasize them (20) (e.g., “vvrr” for the washing machine spin cycle, “ding” for the microwave, “boom” for a cabinet closing). However, be careful not to replace words with these labels—say “the washing machine goes vvrr,” not “the washing machine is called vvrr.”
• Imitate pleasant environmental sounds with your voice: the patter of rain on the windows, birds chirping, the babbling of a stream, the rustling of leaves in the wind.
• Sing single syllables (/ba/, /ma/, /la/…) or hum sounds like /mmm…/ rather than full words.
• Sing lullabies, nursery rhymes, or “their song”—a made-up song just for them.
• Expose them to a variety of musical genres (classical, jazz, country, etc.); don’t limit them to just “children’s music.” Share the listening experience with gestures and facial expressions.
• Offer small sound-producing objects and instruments (e.g., soft musical books), which the child can actively explore by shaking, rubbing, or banging.