Language learning begins with listening.Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking,and later starters are often long listeners.Most children will "obey" spoken instructions some time before they can speak,though the word "obey" is hardly accurate (正确无误的),many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.
Any attempt (尝试) to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to many difficulties.It is agreed that they enjoy making noises,and that during the first few months one or two noises are considered to express their feelings,pain,friendliness,they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language.It is agreed,too,and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store.This self﹣imitation(模仿) leads to deliberate(有意的)
It is a problem we need not get our teeth into (认真对待).The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world.Thus,we don't need to pay much attention to the use at seven months of "mama" as a greeting for his mother because he also uses it at other times for his father,or anything else he likes.Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself.I doubt,however