INFANT SPEECH Meaning and
Definition
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Infant speech refers to the early verbal communication produced by babies and young toddlers as they begin to acquire and develop language skills. It is the initial stage of language acquisition and encompasses the sounds, utterances, and word-like forms produced by infants typically between the ages of 1 and 2 years.
During this phase, infants engage in a series of vocalizations that gradually become more sophisticated and resemble the structure and intonation patterns of the language spoken in their immediate environment. Initially, infants produce non-linguistic sounds such as crying, cooing, and babbling, which serve as early forms of vocal exploration and expression.
As they progress, they begin to imitate and produce different speech sounds, including vowels and consonants, leading to more complex babbling. At around 12 months, infants typically utter their first meaningful words, which are often single syllables or repeated sounds that they associate with specific objects or people in their environment.
Infant speech is characterized by its simplicity, limited vocabulary, and high reliance on prosody and intonation to convey meaning. It is an essential milestone in language development as it signifies the infant's ability to understand and produce language, gradually paving the way for more elaborate and grammatically correct speech.
It is important to note that infant speech varies across cultures and individual children, reflecting the languages and dialects they are exposed to, as well as their unique developmental trajectories.
Common Misspellings for INFANT SPEECH
- unfant speech
- jnfant speech
- knfant speech
- onfant speech
- 9nfant speech
- 8nfant speech
- ibfant speech
- imfant speech
- ijfant speech
- ihfant speech
- indant speech
- incant speech
- invant speech
- ingant speech
- intant speech
- inrant speech
- infznt speech
- infsnt speech
- infwnt speech
- infqnt speech
Etymology of INFANT SPEECH
The etymology of the word "infant speech" is derived from the combination of two words: "infant" and "speech".
1. "Infant": The word "infant" comes from the Latin word "infans" which means "not speaking" or "unable to speak". It is formed from the prefix "in-" (not) and "fari" (to speak). Over time, the term "infant" has come to refer to a very young child, typically from birth to around two years old.
2. "Speech": The word "speech" originates from the Old English word "spæc" which refers to the ability to articulate language and communicate orally. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic root word "*spekaną" (to speak).
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