Language is an important tool of communication. It is through language that we are able to determine the regions and geographic areas that various people are from. One of the important questions that we often forget to ask is how we are able to learn a language. This paper looks at the features, properties, and/or experiences in the world and/or with people allow for language learning in infants. This paper makes the argument that language learning in infants is shaped by three important factors. These include the social interaction of the infant, the cognitive ability of the infant, and the environment under which the infant is brought up.
First of all, social interactions in the life of an infant are instrumental in learning a language. The parents and caregivers of an infant deliberately or unconsciously speak to the infant despite the fact that the infant is not able to communicate. The infant is able to identify various pitches, rhythms, and noises from the caregivers and parents. Over time infants are able to develop a pattern in their brains regarding the pitched and rhythms of sounds that they hear (Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff 309). In addition infants are able to associate certain pitches and sounds with given events such as feeding, sleeping, and other activities in which the infant is involved. It is important to understand that the infant is also able to look at the facial expressions of their caregivers or parents at the time that they produce given sounds. In this way the infant is able to associate various sounds with feelings and emotions of their caregivers. Therefore, the social interactions of an infant with his or her care givers and parents are instrumental in enhancing the process of learning a new language. Unlike adults who take a long time to be in a position to pick up a new language, infants are keener about their immediate environment. They are able to quickly pick up sounds and noises from their immediate environment. During social interactions infants tend to engage in face gazing (Moore, Dunham, & Baldwin 133). This is an activity that cannot be realized unless the parent or the caregiver is present with the infant. As infants engage in face gazing there are able to effectively learn words and sounds from their parents or caregivers. Like any other learning process infants have to be coached as they learn new words and sounds. This means that parents and caregivers have to constantly repeat some sounds and words to infants for a period of time. By so doing, the infant is able to effectively learn and remember the words and the sounds. Face gazing is also an important way in which infants are able to learn the meaning of different words and sounds that are communicated to them by their caregivers or parents. Unlike other creatures that do not pay attention to their mothers or guardians infants are able to look at the directions in which their caregivers look when they make sounds. In this way there are able to associate a certain sound to a given object or person.
Secondly, cognitive abilities of an infant are instrumental in the learning of a language. Infants that do not have any form of mental retardation or complications are able to quickly pick up sounds and words from their immediate environment. On the converse, infants that have some of mental retardation may take time to be able to learn a language (MacNamara 12). This is because their cognitive abilities do not allow them to be keen about the various sounds, words and events within their immediate environment. One thing that is worth understanding is that language learning is comparable to any other form of learning. Within the learning process, there are individuals who are quick in learning while others have some difficulty in being able to grasp various concepts. This principle is applicable in the case of infants. Some infants have a high cognitive ability that allows them to quickly learn from the different social interactions that they engage in. Therefore, cognitive abilities of infants are an important feature that determines the ability of an infant to pick up a language.
Third, the environment under which an infant is brought up is important in enhancing language learning. It is worth noting that some infants spend limited time with caregivers or parents. In this way, they do not have individuals who can constantly reinforce their process of language learning. For instance, with the advent of modern technology, parents have used toys and the media such as TV sets as ways in which they can keep their infants engaged. These instruments are not effective in facilitating the process of language learning in infants. Despite the fact that infants are able to get different sounds and pitch from these technological gadgets, there are not able to benefit from the skill of turn taking (Saffran 110). Turn taking is a skill that is fostered by caretakers and parents by allowing their infants to repeat some of the sounds and words that they hear. In this way, infants are able to learn a language at their own pace.
In conclusion, language learning in infants is shaped by three important features. First of all, social interactions allow infants to pick up sounds and words for their caregivers and parents. Second, infants have different cognitive abilities their accounting for the different paces in which infants learns languages. Finally, the environment in which infants are brought up determines the effectiveness of language learning in infants.
Works Cited
Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy, and Roberta M Golinkoff. "Skeletal supports for grammatical learning: What infants bring to the language learning task." Advances in Infancy Research 8.1 (1993): 299-338. Print.
MacNamara, John. "Cognitive Basis of Language Learning In Infants. “Psychological Review 79.1 (1972): 1-13. Print.
Moore, Chris, Philip Dunham, and Dare A. Baldwin. "Understanding the link between joint attention and language." Joint Attention: Its Origins and Role in Development 286.6 (1995): 131-158. Print.
Saffran, Jenny R. "Statistical Language Learning: Mechanisms and Constraints. “Current Directions in Psychological Science 12.4 (2003): 110-114. Print.
