STAGES OF DEVELOPMENTAL SPEECH – FORMS

OF COMMUNICATION AND DETERMINANTS OF

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

BY VARA HASAN
M.A. PSYCHOLOGY 1ST SEMESTER
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF SPEECH:

Effective speech development is critical to a child's ability to function in society because it

helps them learn and socialize. Knowing the phases of speech and language development
ensures that you can identify and correct any issues that arise during each stage. The stages of
speech development are:

 Pre-linguistic stage
Also known as the pre-linguistic stage, the first stage of language development often
occurs between zero and six months. Children in this phase don't have developed
language skills, so they communicate with sounds. They cry, make cooing sounds and
utter nasal murmurs as their vocal tracts develop. Infants can also recognize voices
and sounds in addition to facial expressions and voice tones.

 Babbling stage
The second stage of a child's language development happens between the ages of 6
and 9 months. Children begin to babble, making noises and syllables that aren’t yet
words. Mouth muscles and teeth grow to prepare children for more advanced talking.

 Holophrastic stage
The third phase of language development, also known as the holophrastic stage,
usually happens between the ages of 9 and 18 months. During this time, their
language skills usually have increased enough for them to say single words that
describe objects or identify their basic needs. For instance, a child in this stage might
say "dada" as a way of getting their dad's attention.

 two-word stage
During this stage, the child can speak two-word sentences that usually have some
meaning. They group words together that they learned during the holophrastic stage.
Example may include: Saying "more food" at the table

 Telegraphic stage
The telegraphic stage occurs between the ages of 24 and 30 months. Children can
speak phrases that are not only longer but also have more than two elements. For
instance, a child might say “The cat stand up on the table.” Correct grammar still isn’t
prevalent in this stage, but the sentence conveys that the cat is standing up in addition
to being on the table. The child also develops the ability to understand basic
instructions, including two-part orders like "go to your table and get your books."

 Multi-word stage
 Beyond 30 months, children enter the multi-word stage. They build increasingly
complex sentences that allow them to better communicate their ideas. They also start
to incorporate morphemes to make more semantically sound phrases. For instance,
they know to use the word “dogs” instead of “dog” when referring to more than one
dog. The telegraphic stage occurs between the ages of 24 and 30 months.

To summarise:
Infants make vegetative sounds from birth. These include crying, sucking noises and burps.
At around 6 weeks, we start getting cooing sounds followed by vocal play between 16 weeks
and 6 months. This vocal play involves sounds that appear similar to speech but containing
no meaning. Babbling is observed between 6 to 9 months. This is different from vocal play in
that it contains true syllables (generally CV syllables as in ‘wa wa’ for ‘water’). Children
produce single-word utterances around 10 to 11 months followed by an extraordinary
expansion of vocabulary around 18 months. At the same time, we start to get two-word
utterances. We also start to get telegraphic speech. These are utterances which lack
grammatical elements. Grammatically complex utterances emerge around two and a half
years.

FORMS OF COMMUNICATION:

The forms of communication may be divided into:

(a) Verbal communication.

(b) Nonverbal communication.

(a) Verbal Communication:

Communication through writing or speaking refers to verbal communication. Thus verbal
communication always requires the use of language. People start speaking before they learn
to write. So verbal or oral communication normally starts with speaking. In written
communication, books, newspapers, letters, reports, records, applications and instruction play
major part.

In case of oral communication there is always personal or face to face or voice to voice
contract between the sender and the receiver of the communication. In direct face to face
contact and discussion, both the sender and receiver of the communication have enough
opportunity to exchange ideas, ask questions and seek clarifications.

(b) Nonverbal Communication:

Any communication without the use of speech and language refers to non-verbal
communication. Gestures, smiles, cries, signs and signals, all traffic signs, red and green
signals denoting “stop” and “proceed” respectively, expression of attitudes and emotions
through facial expression, change in body position, head movements expressing Yes or No
refer to nonverbal communication.
Nonverbal communication by the large is used to communicate the various feelings,
emotions, likes and dislikes preferences and rejections of a person.

DETERMINANTS OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT:

Language refers to all forms of communication. This includes auditory language, such as
speaking and listening, as well as written language, which involves writing and reading.
Language can also include body language like facial expressions and other non-verbal
movements that express meaning.
As young children are forming their own grasp on language, there are several factors that
might influence development. Children between the ages of two and five are especially
vulnerable to these influences, so it's important for parents and caregivers to be aware of
them.
These factors can include:

1. Health and physical development

Illness can effect hearing which, in turn, will cause problems with understanding
spoken language or other auditory cues. Hearing problems can, in turn, effect speech
development. Children who are ill also lack enthusiasm to speak and communicate
non-verbally. This can hinder development of language and communication. In
addition to illness, physical development can influence language. Vocal cords and
speech related facial muscles must be developed in order for a child to orally
communicate effectively. Fine motor skills are also necessary to write or draw letters
and symbols.
2. Environment
It's important that developing children be immersed in a language rich environment.
Children who are spoken to and read to are more likely to want to speak and learn to
read. Social environment can be a hindrance to language development when there is a
lack of example on which children can base their understanding of language and all
that it entails.

3. Cognitive ability

It's been suggested that there's a correlation between intelligence and early speech.
Children who pick up on the language early show an increased level of cognitive
development. They tend to develop early use of proper sentence structure and strong
vocabulary. It should be noted, however, that children who are slow to develop
language skills are not necessarily slow cognitively, as there may be other factors at
play.

4. Biological sex
Biological sex has been known to play a role in a child's language development.
Around the age of two, females tend to start developing language at a faster rate than
males. They begin to communicate more fluently, and understanding of the spoken
language develops quicker. This is sometimes attributed to children's relationships or
closeness to their parents.

5. Number of siblings

Some doctors and scientists suggest that children who come from one-child homes
tend to have a stronger grasp on the understanding and use of language. This is
because there is no competition for the attention of parents or caregivers, and adults
tend to communicate with single children in a more fluent manner, thereby setting a
better example. Others argue, however, that the opposite is true. More siblings can
mean more opportunities for language use, which can result in quicker and stronger
language development.

6. Motivation

If a child has no desire to communicate or understand the world around her or him,
there will be a lack of language development. Until he or she sees the value and need
for use of the language, development may be slow.