Language learning begins with listening.
Individual children vary greatly in the amount of listening they do after
62. ______ they start speaking, and late
starters are often long listeners. Most children will "obey" spoken
instructions some time before they can speak, though the word obey is
hardly accurate like a description of the eager and delighted
63. ______ cooperation
usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will ask
questions in gesture and by 64.
______ making questioning noises. Any attempt to trace the development
from the noises babies make to their first spoken words lead to considerable
difficulties. It is agreed 65.
______ they enjoy making noises, and that during the first
66. ______ few months
one or two noise sort themselves out as
67. ______ particular indicative of
delight, distress, sociability, and so 68.
______ on. But since these can be said to show the baby’s intention to
69. ______ communicate, they can hardly be regarded as
early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months
riley play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able
to add new sounds to their repertoire. This self-imitation leads
on to deliberate imitation of sounds making or words spoken to them by other
people. The
70. ______ problem then arises as to the point which one can say that
71. ______ these imitations
can be considered as speech.