Early childhood is a time of tremendous growth across all areas of

development, especially the language skills.

From birth to the age of five, children develop language in a very 【M1】__________

rapid pace. The stages of language development are universal among

humans. Therefore, the age and the pace at which a child reaches each 【M2】__________

milestone of language development vary greatly among children. Thus,

language development in an individual child must be compared with

norms other than with other individual children. In general，girls 【M3】__________

develop language at a faster rate than boys. Less than any other aspect 【M4】__________

of development, language development reflects the growth and

maturation of the brain. After the age of five it becomes much more

difficult for most children to learn language.

Receptive language development usually develops faster than

expressive language. Two different styles of language development are

recognized. In receptive language development, children first speak

single words and then join words together, first into two-words sentences 【M5】__________

and then into three-word sentences. In expressive language

development, children first speak in long intelligible babbles that mimic 【M6】__________

the cadence and rhythm of adult speech. Most children use a

combination of these styles. Language development begins after birth. 【M7】__________

Towards the end of pregnancy, a fetus begins to hear sounds and speech

coming from outside the mother’s body. Infants are acute attuned to the 【M8】__________

human voice and prefer it to other sounds. In particular they prefer the

higher pitch characteristic with female voices. They are also very 【M9】__________

attentive to the human face, especially when the face is talking. Since 【M10】_________

crying is a child’s primary means of communication at birth. language

immediately begins to develop via repetition and imitation.

【M2】