{"id":23282,"date":"2023-03-10T13:04:29","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T12:04:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T09:57:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T08:57:33","slug":"language-development-in-infants","status":"publish","type":"news-approfondimenti","link":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/news-approfondimenti\/language-development-in-infants\/","title":{"rendered":"Language development in infants"},"content":{"rendered":"

An infant\u2019s language develops progressively, beginning with a primarily non-verbal and reflexive form of communication that gradually evolves into intentional and structured expressions. From the very first weeks of life, infants use their bodies, voices, and gaze<\/strong> to connect with their surroundings and caregivers. Understanding and valuing these early communicative forms is essential to support the child\u2019s overall well-being and foster healthy emotional and language development.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

0\u20132 months: the first forms of communication<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

In the very early months, the infant is able to recognize and distinguish familiar voices, particularly those of the mother and father, even if they do not yet understand their meaning. Communication primarily occurs through:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Eye contact<\/strong>, which establishes emotional connection;<\/li>\n
  • Crying<\/strong>, which serves as a primary expressive method for needs or discomfort;<\/li>\n
  • Smiling<\/strong>, an early expression of well-being and social engagement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    By around the third week of life<\/strong>, babies begin to produce a variety of sounds\u2014such as soft grunts or tongue clicks<\/strong>\u2014which are the first attempts at vocal exploration.<\/p>\n

    2\u20134 months: vocalizations and shared attention<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

    During this stage, infants begin producing more varied vocalizations<\/strong>, differing in length, volume, and pitch. They express states of well-being, a desire for attention, or simple enjoyment of their own voice. Exclamations such as \u201cooooh\u201d or \u201caaah\u201d become common and often elicit enthusiastic responses from parents, initiating the first two-way communicative exchanges<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    4\u20136 months: awareness of sounds and relationships<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

    Infants start to actively experiment with their vocal abilities<\/strong>, producing sounds and squeals for self-stimulation. Vocal expressions begin to reflect emotional states and adapt in response to social interactions. At this point, babies show increasing interest in social relationships and may express boredom or frustration<\/strong> when under-stimulated or left alone.<\/p>\n

    6\u20138 months: gestures, intentionality, and attention to others<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

    Between six and eight months, communication becomes more intentional. Gestures take on communicative meaning (e.g., reaching out arms or pointing), and babbling<\/strong> becomes more frequent and purposeful. The baby:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Pays close attention to those speaking to them<\/strong>;<\/li>\n
    • Responds to their name<\/strong>;<\/li>\n
    • Turns their head in response to sounds<\/strong>;<\/li>\n
    • Is attracted to familiar words<\/strong>, though still without understanding them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      9\u201312 months: first words and contextual understanding<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

      In the final quarter of the first year, the first recognizable words<\/strong> begin to emerge: \u201cmama,\u201d \u201cdada,\u201d \u201cfood,\u201d \u201csleep,\u201d \u201cbath.\u201d These terms, often linked to daily routines, mark the beginning of actual language production.<\/p>\n

      At the same time, imitation and understanding grow stronger:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • The child responds to simple verbal commands (e.g., \u201cwave goodbye,\u201d \u201cgive a kiss\u201d);<\/li>\n
      • Uses intentional gestures<\/strong> to express wants;<\/li>\n
      • Points to objects<\/strong>, often accompanied by vocalizations or babbling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Language development in the first twelve months of life is a complex yet deeply natural process involving sensory, emotional, and social interactions<\/strong>. Each stage represents an essential step on the path to verbal communication. Providing a rich relational environment, responding sensitively to the infant\u2019s signals, and encouraging daily emotional exchange are key to supporting secure and harmonious language growth.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        An infant\u2019s language develops progressively, beginning with a primarily non-verbal and reflexive form of communication that gradually evolves into intentional and structured expressions. From the very first weeks of life, infants use their bodies, voices, and gaze to connect with their surroundings and caregivers. Understanding and valuing these early communicative forms is essential to support […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":23284,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"focus-approfondimento":[888],"focus-appartenenza":[],"coauthors":[110],"class_list":["post-23282","news-approfondimenti","type-news-approfondimenti","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","focus-approfondimento-sensory-cognitive-and-language-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLanguage development in infants - Baby Wellness Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Language development in infants - Baby Wellness Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An infant\u2019s language develops progressively, beginning with a primarily non-verbal and reflexive form of communication that gradually evolves into intentional and structured expressions. From the very first weeks of life, infants use their bodies, voices, and gaze to connect with their surroundings and caregivers. Understanding and valuing these early communicative forms is essential to support […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Baby Wellness Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-07T08:57:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"Dr.ssa Alexandra Semjonova, PhD., PhDr., MBA\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/\",\"name\":\"Language development in infants - Baby Wellness Foundation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-10T12:04:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-07T08:57:33+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato.png\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Language development in infants\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/\",\"name\":\"Baby Wellness Foundation\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Language development in infants - Baby Wellness Foundation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Language development in infants - Baby Wellness Foundation","og_description":"An infant\u2019s language develops progressively, beginning with a primarily non-verbal and reflexive form of communication that gradually evolves into intentional and structured expressions. From the very first weeks of life, infants use their bodies, voices, and gaze to connect with their surroundings and caregivers. Understanding and valuing these early communicative forms is essential to support […]","og_url":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/","og_site_name":"Baby Wellness Foundation","article_modified_time":"2026-01-07T08:57:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes","Written by":"Dr.ssa Alexandra Semjonova, PhD., PhDr., MBA"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/","url":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/","name":"Language development in infants - Baby Wellness Foundation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato.png","datePublished":"2023-03-10T12:04:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-07T08:57:33+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato.png","width":1920,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/lo-sviluppo-del-linguaggio-nel-neonato\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Language development in infants"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/","name":"Baby Wellness Foundation","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-approfondimenti\/23282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-approfondimenti"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news-approfondimenti"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23282"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-approfondimenti\/23282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23287,"href":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-approfondimenti\/23282\/revisions\/23287"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"focus-approfondimento","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/focus-approfondimento?post=23282"},{"taxonomy":"focus-appartenenza","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/focus-appartenenza?post=23282"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=23282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}