How the Brain Works The Facts Visually Explained by DK (z-lib.org)

COMMUNICATION

Learning a Language

Learning

a Language

Unlike other species, humans have

a brain with regions dedicated

to language. Babies are born ready

to learn language, acquiring it

through an interplay between these

specialized areas of the brain and

their own unique experiences.

To learn language, we also have

to interact with other people.

Learning to talk

Our innate preference for looking at faces helps

newborns focus attention on people talking to them.

Later, making eye contact and following gaze allows

them to connect the words they hear with what is

being talked about. As they learn new words, infants

make “overextension” errors by using a single word

to label multiple things, for example, by using the

word “fly” to refer to anything small and dark.

PREBIRTH UP TO 4 4 AROUND 6 BY 6–8 10 –11

10 –12

5 9 –10

PREPARING

UNDERSTANDING

SPEAKING

MONTHS

Prefers sound

of mother’s

voice

Can distinguish

between vowel

sounds and

consonants

Prefers looking

at faces

(from birth)

Throat anatomy

changes to make

speech sounds

possible (before

this, the need to

breathe while

breastfeeding

prevents this)

Babies start to

follow their

caregiver’s gaze

and begin to link

the words they

hear with the

object they are

looking at

Cooing (vowels

only) from

6 weeks

Begins to

understand

pointing

10–12 months

Understands

simple

instructions, e.g.,

“give me the ball”

10–12 months

Left hemisphere

of brain becomes

specialized for

speech

Responds to

own name

Understands

some common

words for

objects or

people

Babbling, e.g.,

“ba-ba,” “ga-ga”

(true syllables)

Intonation

added to sounds,

plus more

consonants, e.g.,

“ma-ma,” “da-da”

(not words)

Timeline of speech

The exact timescale for mastering language varies

from child to child, but all children progress through

the main stages in a similar order—from cooing and

babbling to first words and, ultimately, full sentences.

First consonants:

c and g

Laughter begins First true^

spoken words

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