Why do we learn language?
To connect with others
To understand understand the world
To reveal ourselves

Language development of young children:

• Baby’s cry
• Cooing
• Smiling and laughing
• Babbling
• Association
• One word usage
• Recall
• Telegraphic speech
• Multiword speech

Language skill development:

• Stage 1: Response (0-6 months)
  E.g. Smile, gaze when hearing voices
• Stage 2: Vocalization (6-10 months)
  E.g. babble, use other vocal signal other than crying
• Stage 3: Word development (10-18 months)
  E.g. mama, dada, doggie
• Stage 4: Sentences (18 months – 3 years old)
  E.g. me want chok-quit(chocolate)
• Stage 5: Elaboration (3-5/6 years old)
  E.g. you’re my best mummy, you can hold my turtle at bet-bis(breakfast)
• Stage 6: Graphic presentation (5+-8 years old)
  E.g. drawing

Theories of language emergence:

• Behaviourist/Environmentalist (Stimulus-Response) Theory
• Maturational (Normative) Theory
• Predetermined/Innatist Theory
• Cognitive-Transactional/Interactional Theory
• Constructivist Theory