gen-define-first-language-acquisition-stages-and-give-one-short-19da

Define first-language acquisition stages and give one short worked example.

# First-Language Acquisition Stages First-language acquisition refers to the natural process by which children learn their native language. The main stages are: ## 1. **Pre-linguistic Stage (0-12 months)** - **Cooing** (2-3 months): Vowel-like sounds ("ooo," "aaa") - **Babbling** (6-10 months): Consonant-vowel combinations ("bababa," "dadada") ## 2. **One-Word Stage/Holophrastic (12-18 months)** - Single words represent entire sentences - Vocabulary: 3-50 words ## 3. **Two-Word Stage/Telegraphic (18-24 months)** - Simple two-word combinations - Omits grammatical morphemes - Vocabulary: 50-200+ words ## 4. **Multi-Word Stage (2-3 years)** - Longer sentences with basic grammar - Begins using grammatical morphemes (-ing, -ed, plural -s) ## 5. **Complex Sentences (3-5 years)** - More sophisticated grammar - Question formation, negation, embedding --- ## **Worked Example: Child named Emma (Age 2)** **Context:** Emma sees her father's car leaving - **Age 12 months:** "Dada!" (one-word stage - means "There's Daddy" or "Daddy is leaving") - **Age 20 months:** "Dada go!" (two-word/telegraphic - missing auxiliary verb "is") - **Age 2.5 years:** "Daddy going car" (multi-word - emerging -ing morpheme, but missing articles) - **Age 3.5 years:** "Daddy is going in the car" (complex - grammatically complete)