How do children learn to speak their first language?
Language is one of the most remarkable human abilities. A baby who cannot walk or feed herself can, by age four or five, understand and speak in full sentences—without attending a single grammar lesson! This natural process is called First Language Acquisition (often abbreviated as L1 acquisition).
In this lesson, we’ll explore:
- What L1 acquisition means
- The major stages of L1 development
- The processes behind how children learn
What Is First Language Acquisition?
First language acquisition is the natural, unconscious process of learning the language(s) spoken in a child’s environment. This happens without formal teaching and usually takes place in early childhood.
Most children begin acquiring their first language:
- Without grammar lessons
- Through interaction with caregivers
- By listening, imitating, and experimenting
A child hears, “Do you want juice?” many times at home. Soon, they say “juice!” or even “I want juice,” without ever learning sentence structure.
The Six Stages of First Language Acquisition
1. Pre-linguistic Stage (0–12 months)
Also called: Pre-verbal or Pre-speech stage
What Happens:
- Babies produce sounds that are not yet words.
- Development moves from crying and cooing to babbling.
- They begin to understand tone, pitch, and rhythm of language.
- By around 6–10 months, babies produce repetitive consonant-vowel sounds like “ba-ba” or “da-da.”
Example:
- A 4-month-old baby coos: “oooh… ahhh…” when playing.
- An 8-month-old babbles: “ma-ma-ma” or “ga-ga” without knowing what they mean.
Theories That Explain:
- Behaviorism (Skinner, 1957): Babies imitate sounds and are positively reinforced (smiled at, cuddled, answered).
- Innatism (Chomsky, 1965): Children are born with a Language Acquisition Device (LAD) that prepares them to recognize and process language patterns.
- Interactionist Theory (Bruner, 1983): Input from caregivers—like “baby talk” (motherese/child-directed speech)—helps structure learning.
2. One-Word Stage (12–18 months)
Also called: Holophrastic stage
What Happens:
- Children begin to use single words to express complete ideas.
- One word (a holophrase) can mean many things, depending on context and intonation.
- Words are often concrete: names, objects, or needs.
Example:
- Saying “milk” could mean “I want milk,” “There’s my milk,” or “Give me milk.”
- “Mama” could mean “Where is Mama?” or simply call for her.
Theories That Explain:
- Cognitive Theory (Piaget): The child links words with mental concepts as their cognitive ability grows.
- Social Interactionist Theory: Caregivers help children connect one-word utterances to meaning by responding, expanding, or repeating.
- Chomsky’s Universal Grammar: The child uses their inborn grammar system to begin producing language with meaning.
3. Two-Word Stage (18–24 months)
What Happens:
- Children begin to combine two words to form basic sentences.
- Word order typically follows simple logic: noun + verb, or adjective + noun.
- Grammar is still missing, but meaning is usually clear.
Example:
- “More juice” = I want more juice.
- “Daddy go” = Daddy is going.
- “Big truck” = That is a big truck.
Theories That Explain:
- Constructivist Approach (Tomasello): Children begin using words creatively to build meaning.
- Innatism: Children use minimal input to begin applying syntax rules (like putting the subject before the verb).
- Input Hypothesis (Krashen): Children need comprehensible input from adults to advance.
4. Telegraphic Stage (2–3 years)
Also called: Early Multi-word stage
What Happens:
- Children produce short but more complex sentences (3–5 words).
- Speech resembles a telegram: important words included, function words (like “is,” “the”) are often left out.
- Word order begins to reflect adult grammar.
- Children begin to ask basic WH-questions (what, where, who).
Example:
- “Mummy go work” = Mummy is going to work.
- “Want cookie now.”
- “Where Daddy?”
- “No want bath!”
Theories That Explain:
- Nativist theory: The child’s internal grammar is developing.
- Interactionist theory: Social context and need for communication push children to combine words more efficiently.
- Constructivist views: Children form schemas for common sentence types like requests or statements.
5. Later Multi-word Stage (3–5 years)
What Happens:
- Sentences become longer and more grammatically complete.
- Use of function words (a, the, is, are, was), plurals, tense markers, and questions improves.
- Children begin to self-correct and adjust to rules.
- They make overgeneralization errors: applying one rule to all forms.
Example:
- “I goed to the park.” (overgeneralization of “go” + –ed)
- “Why is the dog barking?”
- “I don’t like that toy because it’s broken.”
Theories That Explain:
- Nativist/Universal Grammar (Chomsky): Errors like “goed” show the child is learning rules and applying them logically.
- Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory: Language grows through interaction in the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) with adult support.
- Input & Output Theories: More exposure to adult models and speaking practice leads to improved language structure.
6. Beyond 5 Years: Refinement and Mastery
What Happens:
- Children speak almost like adults, but continue to refine vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar.
- They understand jokes, sarcasm, stories, and indirect language.
- Their language use becomes situational—they adjust how they speak depending on who they’re talking to (pragmatics).
Example:
- “Actually, I think dinosaurs lived millions of years ago.”
- “Can you please not do that? It’s really annoying.”
Theories That Explain:
- Cognitive and Social Growth: Language and thinking develop together; children now understand hypotheticals, complex tenses, and metaphors.
- Sociolinguistic Theory: Children learn to switch between registers (e.g., formal vs. informal) through real-life interaction.
You may not yet be familiar with the various language acquisition theories mentioned here, but don’t worry—we’ll explore them in depth in the upcoming lessons.
Processes Behind Language Acquisition
Children are not just repeating words—they are actively constructing language using cognitive and social tools.
Cognitive Process
Children have a Language Acquisition Device (LAD) (Chomsky, 1965) that helps them process and use grammar patterns.
A child who hears “I am eating” and “She is reading” begins to understand how continuous tense works.
Social Interaction
Language grows when children communicate with others.
When a caregiver responds to “ball” by giving the ball, the child connects the word to meaning and action.
Input and Imitation
Children listen to thousands of examples and imitate them in their own way.
“Thank you” becomes “Tank you,” and later improves to “Thank you.”
Common Mistakes That Hint First Language Acquisition
Children’s mistakes are not random—they show learning in progress.
| Mistake | What it shows |
|---|---|
| “I goed there” | Learning past tense rule (-ed) |
| “Mouses” | Understanding plurals |
| “He do it” | Learning subject-verb agreement |
Teachers and parents don’t need to correct every mistake—most will disappear naturally as the child hears more correct forms.
Activities
Activity 1: Identify the Stage in First Language Acquisition
Name the correct stage of acquisition:
- “Cookie!”
- “Me no like it.”
- “Can we go to the park after dinner?”
- “Ba-ba-ba!”
- “More juice.”
Activity 2: Reflective Questions on First Language Acquisition
Can you remember how you or a child in your family started to speak?
What were their first words or funniest mistakes?
Why do you think children are better at learning language than adults?
Activity 3: Teacher Activity Ideas for First Language Acquisition
You’re teaching a group of 4-year-old ESL learners.
What activities could support their L1-like learning of English?
Examples: songs, role-play, storytelling, puppets
Write down 2 ideas and explain why they are helpful.
Key Terms In First Language Acquisition Recap
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| First Language (L1) | The first language a person learns at home |
| Holophrastic | Using one word to express a full idea |
| Telegraphic Speech | Short, grammatically incomplete speech with key words only |
| Overgeneralization | Applying a rule too widely (e.g., “goed,” “mouses”) |
| Input | Language that the learner hears or reads |
| Interaction | Talking or engaging with others to use language |
First language acquisition is natural, powerful, and universal. Children around the world learn to speak their mother tongue with amazing speed and accuracy—without needing textbooks. By understanding the stages and processes of L1 acquisition, teachers can design lessons that feel more natural, engaging, and effective for second language learners too.
Imagine you’re teaching a group of 3-year-old ESL learners. What kind of activities (songs, games, routines) would support their stage of language development? Choose one and explain why it works.
Academic Resources for First Language Acquisition
Warni et al. (2023), “The Stages and Development of First Language Acquisition”
This study outlines the stages of L1 acquisition in children based on Chomsky’s framework, focusing on phonological, morphological, and syntactic stages. It emphasizes natural, unconscious language development in early childhood.
Study.com, “Language Acquisition: Definition, Stages & Process”
Provides a clear summary of the five classic stages of language acquisition: pre-talking, babbling, holophrastic, two-word, telegraphic, and multi-word stages. Useful for understanding early child language development.
PMC Article (2012), “The initial stages of first-language acquisition begun in adolescence”
Discusses how first language acquisition processes in adolescence resemble those in childhood, highlighting vocabulary and grammar development stages and age-related differences.
Arlington Public Schools, “Stages of Language Acquisition”
A practical overview differentiating first and second language acquisition stages, describing how babies progress from listening and imitating sounds to producing words and sentences.
Al-Hamzi et al. (2021), “Problems and Approaches in Children First Language Acquisition at Age 1-3 Years Old in Yemen”
Examines L1 acquisition stages such as pre-production, early production, first words, and fluency development in young children, emphasizing environmental exposure and interaction.
Semantic Scholar PDF, “First language development on children: the literature review analysis”
Reviews literature on how children acquire language through imitation and corrective feedback, providing theoretical insights into early language development processes.
ScienceDirect, “First language acquisition as a guide for theories of learning and teaching”
Analyzes early L1 acquisition data to inform broader learning theories, relevant for language teaching methodology.
DIVA Portal, “The syntactic development in the earlier stages of children’s first language”
Focuses on syntactic development during early L1 acquisition stages, offering detailed linguistic analysis useful for TEFL educators.
| Next Lesson: Key Theories of L1 Acquisition (Behaviorism, Nativism, Interactionism) |
| Previous Lesson: Introduction to Language Acquisition and Learning |
| Unit Home: Language Acquisition and Learning |