Adjunct Professor, Hanaa Wahba
Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) threw light on the importance of understanding the language development during the first three years of life. They clarified that “fetus
can respond to sound” about six or seven months in their moms’ uteruses (p.13). They enlightened that fetuses can hear their mothers; they demonstrated that that fetal heart rate decline when their moms speak to them; whereas fetal heart rate didn’t decline when their moms are silent or speak in low voices (p. 13-14). The scientists clarified that the fetus can differentiate between “patterns in the language they hear” (Golinkoff, R. & Hirsh-Pasek, K., 2000, p.15). It is manifested that the fetus heart rate is considered an indicator of his reaction and sensitivity to material read to him in the womb between the 33rd and 37th week of fetal development. Therefore, researchers suggested favorite nursery rhymes to be recited by their mothers every day (Golinkoff, R. &
Hirsh-Pasek, K., 2000).
Golinkoff, R. and Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2000) argued that newborns recognize their mothers
“through the sound of their voice and through the smell of their milk” (p. 13). Infants start by engaging in smiling which is the seed for their interaction with others. Between the weeks five and six, infants use throaty vocal sounds, called coos. Golinkoff, R. and
Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2000) explained that babies give more eye contact with other which often accompanied by cooing and using social smile. This stage is a quite preparation for babies to notice the language sound. According to scientific data, all babies have something in common which is they are all babbling (p.38-39). This period starts between four and eight months of age; it is described by producing “usual combinations of meaningless vocalizations” (p.39). A baby communicates with others through sounds, gestures and facial expressions (p.38-39). It has been demonstrated that by the end of the sixth or seventh month, babies respond to their own names and recognize their native language. Thus, babbling period is considered a stage in which a baby engages in experimenting various uttering sounds that will soon be real words (p.40).
Between nine and twelve months of age, babies gradually develop using language by “using communicative signals” (p.65). For example, babies start to talk and to point on what they want. Rejection is the first type that babies express through shaking heads of
no. Second, babies can make requests by “ask for an object, or ask for us to interact with them” (p.72). Last, babies can make comment by using nonverbal communicative ways such as pointing and eye gazing as two good resources of communication. Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) argued that children have spent a year preparing for the fertile path to utter real words. At the age of one year, children can identify themselves and
understand who is talking to them. Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) stated that babies are usually use names of people or pets or sometimes an object that they use a lot. For
instance, many first babies’ words are animal sounds as “buzz”, and “woof”
(p.91). By the end of 12 months, most babies say a few simple words like "mama" and "dadda" and at this moment they understand what they're saying.
Expanding the daily experience of toddlers enriched the content of vocabulary in the vocabulary spurt period between eighteen to twenty four months. Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) manifested that a toddler starts to ask questions as “What’s that?” and
they most often pronounced as one word, “Whatssat?” (p.118). Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) stated that scientists have categorized the most words that are used by toddlers which are most likely words for objects. For example, the largest types of words are “foods, and drinks, animals, body parts, clothing, toys, and vehicles” (p.118). Furthermore, toddlers use some common action words as “up,” “sit,” “eat,” down,” and “go” (p.120).
Scientists have demonstrated that toddlers learn a massive number of words when their mothers use “infant-directed speech” than using “adult-directed speech” (Golinkoff, R.
& Hirsh-Pasek, K. 2000 p.122). Kuhl (2010) explained that phonetic units are perceived by infants when exposed to “motherese”, which is an exaggerated form of speech that is used universally by adults when speaking to infants. According to Kuhl (2010), toddlers often use examples of what researchers have called “overextentions”; for example, toddlers might say “truck” for “bus” (p.124). One of the main reasons why toddlers might overextend while speaking is that pronouncing the word is harder than understanding it. On the other hand, Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) marked that toddlers are using overextension “to build their mental dictionaries” (p.126). It is clarified the grammatical development between the ages of two and three. Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) stated that while reading to a child every night, the practice helps to develop a child’s vocabulary words; this is the period in which the child starts to master the language (Golinkoff & Hirsh-Pasek, 2000).
References
Golinkoff, R. & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2000). How babies talk: The magic and mystery of language in the first three years. NY: Plume.
Kuhl, K. P. (2010). Brain mechanisms in early language acquisition. Neuron, 67(5),
713-727.
can respond to sound” about six or seven months in their moms’ uteruses (p.13). They enlightened that fetuses can hear their mothers; they demonstrated that that fetal heart rate decline when their moms speak to them; whereas fetal heart rate didn’t decline when their moms are silent or speak in low voices (p. 13-14). The scientists clarified that the fetus can differentiate between “patterns in the language they hear” (Golinkoff, R. & Hirsh-Pasek, K., 2000, p.15). It is manifested that the fetus heart rate is considered an indicator of his reaction and sensitivity to material read to him in the womb between the 33rd and 37th week of fetal development. Therefore, researchers suggested favorite nursery rhymes to be recited by their mothers every day (Golinkoff, R. &
Hirsh-Pasek, K., 2000).
Golinkoff, R. and Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2000) argued that newborns recognize their mothers
“through the sound of their voice and through the smell of their milk” (p. 13). Infants start by engaging in smiling which is the seed for their interaction with others. Between the weeks five and six, infants use throaty vocal sounds, called coos. Golinkoff, R. and
Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2000) explained that babies give more eye contact with other which often accompanied by cooing and using social smile. This stage is a quite preparation for babies to notice the language sound. According to scientific data, all babies have something in common which is they are all babbling (p.38-39). This period starts between four and eight months of age; it is described by producing “usual combinations of meaningless vocalizations” (p.39). A baby communicates with others through sounds, gestures and facial expressions (p.38-39). It has been demonstrated that by the end of the sixth or seventh month, babies respond to their own names and recognize their native language. Thus, babbling period is considered a stage in which a baby engages in experimenting various uttering sounds that will soon be real words (p.40).
Between nine and twelve months of age, babies gradually develop using language by “using communicative signals” (p.65). For example, babies start to talk and to point on what they want. Rejection is the first type that babies express through shaking heads of
no. Second, babies can make requests by “ask for an object, or ask for us to interact with them” (p.72). Last, babies can make comment by using nonverbal communicative ways such as pointing and eye gazing as two good resources of communication. Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) argued that children have spent a year preparing for the fertile path to utter real words. At the age of one year, children can identify themselves and
understand who is talking to them. Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) stated that babies are usually use names of people or pets or sometimes an object that they use a lot. For
instance, many first babies’ words are animal sounds as “buzz”, and “woof”
(p.91). By the end of 12 months, most babies say a few simple words like "mama" and "dadda" and at this moment they understand what they're saying.
Expanding the daily experience of toddlers enriched the content of vocabulary in the vocabulary spurt period between eighteen to twenty four months. Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) manifested that a toddler starts to ask questions as “What’s that?” and
they most often pronounced as one word, “Whatssat?” (p.118). Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) stated that scientists have categorized the most words that are used by toddlers which are most likely words for objects. For example, the largest types of words are “foods, and drinks, animals, body parts, clothing, toys, and vehicles” (p.118). Furthermore, toddlers use some common action words as “up,” “sit,” “eat,” down,” and “go” (p.120).
Scientists have demonstrated that toddlers learn a massive number of words when their mothers use “infant-directed speech” than using “adult-directed speech” (Golinkoff, R.
& Hirsh-Pasek, K. 2000 p.122). Kuhl (2010) explained that phonetic units are perceived by infants when exposed to “motherese”, which is an exaggerated form of speech that is used universally by adults when speaking to infants. According to Kuhl (2010), toddlers often use examples of what researchers have called “overextentions”; for example, toddlers might say “truck” for “bus” (p.124). One of the main reasons why toddlers might overextend while speaking is that pronouncing the word is harder than understanding it. On the other hand, Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) marked that toddlers are using overextension “to build their mental dictionaries” (p.126). It is clarified the grammatical development between the ages of two and three. Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2000) stated that while reading to a child every night, the practice helps to develop a child’s vocabulary words; this is the period in which the child starts to master the language (Golinkoff & Hirsh-Pasek, 2000).
References
Golinkoff, R. & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2000). How babies talk: The magic and mystery of language in the first three years. NY: Plume.
Kuhl, K. P. (2010). Brain mechanisms in early language acquisition. Neuron, 67(5),
713-727.