Learning Language – How is it done?


Learning Language – How is it done?

Do children learn to speak through imitation, or is there more to it?

‘Say Mama! Say Dada!’ From gurgling, to babbling, to speaking their first fully formed word, it’s a joyful time for every parent to listen to their child learn to speak. But how – and why – do they learn to make those first sounds? Is imitation the answer, or does evolution play a part? Will your child still learn to speak if you stick them in front of the TV all day? You might think there’s a clear answer to this question, but in actual fact, many theories have been developed over the years to explain why your little one is acquiring language.

But first of all, lets address imitation. B.F. Skinner developed the Behaviourism theory – simply put, Behaviourism means that we imitate the linguistic behaviour we hear around us.  However, although your child might be able to parrot a word back to you, it’s unlikely that they know what the word means at this stage – for example, you might think your child is copying the word ‘run’, but in reality, they probably don’t understand what ‘run’ actually means yet. So, although imitation definitely plays a part in how children acquire language, it is not the sole reason – after all, if it was, wouldn’t children be learning to produce grammatically complete, Standard English sentences?

On the other hand, Nativism – another theory, developed by Noam Chomsky – is the complete opposite of Behaviourism. Nativism includes the observation that language is so useful to our survival that the ability to speak has evolved as a basic part of our nature – so according to Chomsky, babies are born ready to speak. Their brain listens to the langauge around them and begins to sort the rules of that language (what sounds there are, etc.), and the child then tries it out when they understand it.

Although this logic might lead you to believe that your child could easily learn to speak from devices such as the TV, would they be a good langauge user if they did so? Jerome Bruner, who is behind the Social Interaction theory, places more importance on caregivers. He suggested that children are social creatures, and the ways in which carers encourage and support the child enables them to gradually develop speech (‘scaffolding’). So, in simpler terms, by talking to and questioning your child, you are helping them become a better langauge user!

All in all, as I mentioned earlier, there is no clear answer to our question about how children learn language – as you can see, there are a variety of different possibilities. Overall, it seems to me that the clear solution is to communicate with your child, and whether it be through imitation, scaffolding, or a combination of different theories, your child will soon be making those first precious words!

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